William L. Distin was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 municipal politician. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

 in 1849.

Born in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, little is known of the life of William L. Distin. He first appears as an active member of the Hamilton community in 1849, when he was elected mayor and served on the building committee of Christ's Church. From 1849 until 1853 he was chairman of the Board of Trustees for Common Schools and in that capacity he presided at the opening of Central School 2 May 1853. A supporter of Sir Allan MacNab

Allan MacNab

Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet was a Canadian political leader and Premier of the Province of Canada before Canadian Confederation .-Biography:...

he is believed to have lived on King Street West, until his death in 1858.