Josiah Williams "Si" Pearce (January 18, 1850 – May 25, 1938) was a merchant and politician in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. He represented

Hastings North Hastings North was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It was created by the B ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1902 to 1911 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

member. The son of Peter Pearce and Almira Edmonds, he was born in Norwood,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

, and was educated there. Pearce began working as a clerk in a

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

there, later moving to Marmora, where he opened his own business. He served as reeve for Marmora from 1890 to 1893 and from 1895 to 1902, and was warden for

Hastings County Hastings County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. Hastings County is the second-largest county in Ontario, after Renfrew C ...

in 1901. He was also secretary-treasurer for the Pearce Lumber Company. Pearce built the first retail mall in Marmora which included a bakery, a

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

store and the town newspaper office. Pearce was married three times: first to Bessie Bramley in 1877, then to Julia C. Houston in 1891 and finally to Mary. From 1911 to 1923, he was bursar for the Ontario School for the Deaf in Belleville. Pearce died in Belleville at the age of 88.

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* 1850 births 1938 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs 19th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MPP-stub