Peter McGill

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Peter McGill

Peter McGill (born August 1789 in Creebridge, Wigtownshire , Scotland , † September 28, 1860 in Montreal ; until 1821 Peter McCutcheon ) was a Scottish - Canadian politician and banker . He was a member of parliament in the Lower Canada colony , president of the Bank of Montreal from 1836 until his death and mayor of Montreal from 1840 to 1842.

biography

He emigrated to Canada in 1809 and settled in Montreal. His maternal uncle, the wealthy fur trader James McGill , got him a job with the Parker, Gerrard, Ogilvy & Co. trading company . James McGill died childless in 1813 and bequeathed part of the fortune to his nephew on the condition that he take his family name. Due to years of legal dispute with the widow's family, the inheritance could only be taken over in 1821.

Peter McGill, as he was now called, had founded his own trading company in 1820. While the headquarters of Peter McGill & Co. in Montreal mainly imported British finished goods, the branch in Québec traded wood. The export of food, alcohol and potash salt was added later. From 1819 McGill was represented on the board of directors of the Bank of Montreal , Canada's oldest bank, founded two years earlier . He rose to vice-president in 1830 and was elected president in 1834. He held this office for over a quarter of a century until his death.

Stained glass in McGill Metro Station depicting Peter McGill and Jacques Viger .

In 1832, McGill was appointed to the House of Lords of the Lower Canada colony . In the same year he founded the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad with John Molson and other Montreal businessmen and became its first chairman. The railway line to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , the first in Canada, opened four years later. From 1838 to 1841 McGill sat on the Special Council , which temporarily exercised executive power after the rebellions of 1837 were put down. From 1840 to 1842 he was mayor of Montreal. From 1845 McGill was on the board of directors of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad , from 1853 the Grand Trunk Railway . As Speaker of the Upper House of the Province of Canada , he was a member of the government in 1847/48.

The McGill station on the Montreal Metro is named after him.

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personal data
SURNAME McGill, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McCutcheon, Peter (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish Canadian politician and banker
DATE OF BIRTH August 1789
PLACE OF BIRTH Creebridge, Wigtownshire , Scotland
DATE OF DEATH September 28, 1860
Place of death Montreal