James McShane

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James McShane

James McShane (born November 7, 1833 in Montreal , † December 14, 1918 there ) was a Canadian politician and businessman . From 1891 to 1893 he was mayor of Montreal, from 1878 to 1892 member of the Legislative Assembly of Québec and from 1895 to 1896 member of the Canadian lower house ( Liberal Party ).

biography

From the age of 18, McShane worked as a cattle dealer with his father. Her customers included the Allan Line and the British troops stationed in Montreal . From 1870 to 1874 McShane worked as a trader on the Montreal Stock Exchange , then as a meat exporter. In 1863 he was appointed justice of the peace . In 1868 he was elected to the Montreal City Council, to which he belonged until 1881 and from 1883 to 1887. As a candidate for the Parti libéral du Québec , he ran successfully for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Québec in 1878 . After almost a decade as an opposition politician, he was a member of Honoré Mercier's cabinet in 1887 and 1888 and served as Minister for Agriculture and Public Works.

In the Montreal mayoral election of 1891, McShane competed against incumbent Jacques Grenier and beat him by more than 5000 votes. During his term of office, the electrification of the tram network fell, but he also had to put up with the accusation that he had not done anything against three corrupt city councilors or that he was involved in their machinations. Because of this scandal he was defeated by Alphonse Desjardins in 1893 . A year later he ran again for mayoral election and lost to Joseph-Octave Villeneuve . In December 1895, McShane won a by-election for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as a candidate for the Liberal Party , but was voted out of the House of Commons election in 1896 after only half a year .

After finishing his political career, McShane turned back to business. From 1900 to 1912 he was the harbor master. Under his leadership, the port of Montreal developed into the most modern in the country and the leading location for shipbuilding.

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personal data
SURNAME McShane, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 7, 1833
PLACE OF BIRTH Montreal
DATE OF DEATH December 14, 1918
Place of death Montreal