James Cochrane

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James Cochrane

James Cochrane (born September 15, 1852 in Kincardine , Scotland , † May 28, 1905 in Montreal ) was a Canadian politician and general contractor . From 1902 to 1904 he was mayor of Montreal.

biography

Cochrane immigrated to Canada when he was a child with his family, who settled in Montreal. After leaving school, he first worked as a telegraph operator at Compagnie de télégraphe de Montréal and later became self-employed as a building contractor. Among other things, he was involved in the construction of the Intercolonial Railway and a telegraph line on Lake Superior . Cochrane also served in the Canadian militia and was used in the crackdown on the Northwest Rebellion in 1885 . Back in Montreal, he set up an asphalt factory and brick factory . He was also the director of a railway company, a shipping company and an insurance company, and he was also active in charities in various health care institutions.

In the general election in 1891 , Cochrane ran for the Liberal Party in the Montreal West constituency, but was clearly defeated by Donald Smith . As a candidate for the Parti libéral du Québec , he successfully ran for the election of the Legislative Assembly of Québec in 1900 . He was re-elected four years later. Cochrane was also involved in local politics and was elected to the Montreal City Council in 1900. In 1902 he prevailed against Richard Wilson-Smith in the mayoral election . During his two-year tenure, he had to grapple with the city's first public service strike when tram drivers demanded higher wages and trade union recognition in February 1903 . Since the strike was an important part of the infrastructure, Cochrane had to give in to the demands. In 1904 he decided against re-election.

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