John Easton Mills

John Easton Mills (born October 14, 1796 in Tolland , Massachusetts , † November 12, 1847 in Montreal ) was a Canadian politician and banker . He was mayor of Montreal from 1846 until his death.

Mills moved to Montreal with his brother at a young age to work as a fur trader . From 1844 he worked as a banker and a little later founded his own bank, Mills Bank . This funded various important projects, including the construction of the Saint-Patrick de Montréal basilica . In 1846 he became managing director of the newly founded savings bank of the city and the district of Montreal ( Banque d'Épargne de la Cité et du District de Montréal ) .

In the Montreal city council, Mills led the faction of reformers and took over the office of mayor in December 1846. In the summer of 1847, thousands of Irish immigrants who had fled the Great Famine in Ireland arrived in Montreal. They lived under miserable conditions in the harbor district, where a typhus epidemic broke out after a short time . Mills organized the construction of huts and provided the necessary resources for the sick. He even made himself available as a nurse. He infected himself and died of the disease after a short time.

Web links

Biography on the website of the city administration (French)

personal data
SURNAME	Mills, John Easton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Canadian politician and banker
DATE OF BIRTH	October 14, 1796
PLACE OF BIRTH	Tolland (Massachusetts)
DATE OF DEATH	November 12, 1847
Place of death	Montreal