Charles Wilson (politician)

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Charles Wilson

Charles Wilson (born April 1808 in Coteau-du-Lac , Lower Canada , † May 4, 1877 in Montreal ) was a Canadian politician and businessman . From 1851 to 1854 he was mayor of the city of Montreal, from 1867 he was a member of the Canadian Senate .

biography

Wilson was the son of Alexander Wilson, a merchant who immigrated from Scotland , and Catherine-Angélique d'Ailleboust de Manthet (descendant of Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge , a governor of New France ). In 1834 Wilson opened a department store in Montreal and was soon very wealthy. Later he was also a director of the Scottish Provincial Assurance Company . In 1835 he married Ann Tracey, sister of the journalist Daniel Tracey . He played a leading role in the St Patrick Society , a charity that supported Irish immigrants.

In 1848 Wilson was elected to the Montreal City Council. This elected him mayor in 1851. On January 24, 1852, he chaired the first city council meeting in the newly built Marché Bonsecours . A month later he was the first directly elected mayor. During Wilson's tenure, the “Gavazzi Riots” fell in June 1853. When the Italian theologian Alessandro Gavazzi gave an anti-Catholic speech in Montreal, an angry mob tried to storm the assembly hall. Wilson ordered the city militia to shoot at the crowd. Ten people were killed. At the request of Bishop Ignace Bourget , Wilson received from Pope Pius IX in September 1855 . the Order of Gregory , whereupon the Protestant press insulted him as the main culprit of the " St. Bartholomew's Night of Montreal".

In 1854, Wilson resigned as mayor. After the founding of the Canadian Confederation , he was appointed to the Senate in September 1867 . In the upper house of the Canadian parliament he belonged to the conservative faction until his death .

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personal data
SURNAME Wilson, Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH April 1808
PLACE OF BIRTH Coteau-du-Lac , Lower Canada
DATE OF DEATH May 4, 1877
Place of death Montreal