William Muirhead was a merchant, shipbuilder and political figure in New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, Canada. He served in the Legislative Council of New Brunswick

Legislative Council of New Brunswick

The Legislative Council of New Brunswick was the upper house of the government of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, between 1785 and 1891. Members were appointed by the New Brunswick lieutenant governor.-External links:*...

 from 1867 to 1873. In 1873, Muirhead was named to the Senate of Canada for Chatham division as a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 and served until his death in 1884.

He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia

Pictou, Nova Scotia

Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....

, the son of John Muirhead, a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 immigrant, and was educated at Miramichi, New Brunswick

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay...

. He settled in Chatham

Chatham, New Brunswick

Chatham is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County along the south bank of the Miramichi River opposite Douglastown...

and married Annie Gray. Muirhead was involved in shipping goods, owning his own ships and mills. He was president of the Miramichi Shipbuilding Company and of the Miramichi Warehousing and Dock Company. He was also a director of the Maritime Bank of the Dominion and of the Northern Western Railway.