William Goodhue Perley
Encyclopedia
William Goodhue Perley was a businessman and member of the Canadian House of Commons
from 1887 to 1890.
He was born in Enfield, New Hampshire
in 1820. His emigrant ancestor was Allan Perley. During the 1840s, he established a lumber business based on timber from northern New York
. As high quality wood became harder to find, Perley and his partner, Gordon B. Pattee, decided to relocate to the Ottawa Valley
and established sawmill
s near Ottawa
supplying wood to the United States
.
With other timber interests, in 1866, he helped establish the Ottawa City Passenger Railway Company, a system of horse-drawn trams, which provided transportation for people but also moved lumber from the sawmills to ships and trains. Perley, with J.R. Booth
and others, helped develop railways in the region, including the Canada Atlantic Railway
and the Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway.
He failed in an attempt to become the Liberal-Conservative Party
candidate for Ottawa City
in 1882, but was later elected as a Conservative
in the same riding in 1887.
Although his business had originally benefited from reciprocal trade agreements between Canada and the United States, later in life, he supported protective tariffs to help develop the economy of Canada.
Perley died in Ottawa in 1890 while still in office.
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
from 1887 to 1890.
He was born in Enfield, New Hampshire
Enfield, New Hampshire
Enfield is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,582 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Enfield, Enfield Center, Upper Shaker Village, Lower Shaker Village, Lockehaven, and Montcalm....
in 1820. His emigrant ancestor was Allan Perley. During the 1840s, he established a lumber business based on timber from northern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. As high quality wood became harder to find, Perley and his partner, Gordon B. Pattee, decided to relocate to the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa Valley
The Ottawa Valley is the valley along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec along the Ottawa River. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield...
and established sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s near Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
supplying wood to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
John Rudolphus Booth
John Rudolphus Booth was a Canadian lumber and railway baron. He controlled logging rights for large tracts of forest land in central Ontario, and built a railway to extract his logs; and from Ottawa through to Vermont to export lumber and grain to the United States and...
and others, helped develop railways in the region, including the Canada Atlantic Railway
Canada Atlantic Railway
The Canada Atlantic Railway Company , the creation of lumber baron John Rudolphus Booth, was for a short period an important participant in the development of trans-Canada railway systems at the end of the 19th century...
and the Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway.
He failed in an attempt to become the Liberal-Conservative Party
Liberal-Conservative Party
The Liberal-Conservative Party was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the label as late as the 1911 election and others ran as simple Conservatives prior to 1873...
candidate for Ottawa City
Ottawa (City of)
Ottawa was a federal electoral district in the province of Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935.It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. It consisted of the city of Ottawa...
in 1882, but was later elected as a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
in the same riding in 1887.
Although his business had originally benefited from reciprocal trade agreements between Canada and the United States, later in life, he supported protective tariffs to help develop the economy of Canada.
Perley died in Ottawa in 1890 while still in office.