Alexander Keith (5 October 1795 – 14 December 1873) was a Canadian businessman, politician,

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and founder of

Alexander Keith's Brewery Alexander Keith's is a brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The brewery was founded in 1820 by Alexander Keith who had immigrated from Scotland three years previously. In 1928, the business was sold to ...

Business

After learning the brewing trade from his uncle in

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

, Keith emigrated to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

in 1817 and became manager at a brewery, which he bought out in 1820. In 1822, he moved the brewery to larger facilities and, in 1836, built a new brewery. The end of

slavery in the British and French Caribbean Slavery in the British and French Caribbean refers to slavery in the parts of the Caribbean dominated by the French colonial empires, French Empire or the British Empire. History In the History of the Caribbean, Caribbean, Kingdom of Engla ...

reduced the availability of sugar for

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

-making, and other beverages grew in popularity. Beverages brewed by Keith included

spruce beer Spruce beer is a beverage flavored with the buds, needles, or essence of spruce trees. ''Spruce beer'' can refer to either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. A number of flavors are associated with spruce-flavored beverages, ranging from flo ...

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., a locom ...

ginger wine Ginger wine is a fortified wine often made from a fermented blend of ginger, raisins, sugar and yeast, that is often fortified by being blended with brandy. It is one of the main ingredients of the Whisky Mac cocktail. Ginger wine originated i ...

, and strong

ale Ale is a style of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In medieval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale ...

. The brewery is now part of

Anheuser-Busch InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 20 ...

. From 1837, he served in senior management of various companies, including the

Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five banks, it is the third-largest Canadian bank by deposits and ...

, the Halifax Fire Insurance Company, Colonial Life Assurance Company, the Halifax Gas, Light, and Water Company, the Provincial Permanent Building, and Investment Society.

Political career

In 1841, he was elected to the city council of Halifax and was elected mayor in 1843, 1853, and 1854. In 1843, he was appointed to the

Legislative Council of Nova Scotia The Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was the upper house of the legislature of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It existed from 1838 to May 31, 1928. From the establishment of responsible government in 1848, members were appointed by the ...

, becoming its president from 1867 until his death in 1873. Keith served with several fraternal and charitable societies, including as president of the

North British Society The North British Society (also known as "The Scots" and "Scots Club") was founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1768, the oldest Scottish heritage society outside Great Britain. North British is an adjective used as an alternative to "Scottish". ...

and Grand Master of the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Personal life

Born in

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1795, Keith immigrated to Nova Scotia in 1817. He married Sarah Ann Stalcup in 1822, and they had three children, all of whom died before reaching adulthood. Sarah Ann Stalcup died in 1832, and a year later Keith married Eliza Keith, with whom he had eight children. Architect William Hay began construction of Keith's new residence, Keith Hall, in 1863. The

palazzo A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

mixes styles including

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

. He died in Halifax in 1873 and is buried at

Camp Hill Cemetery Camp Hill Cemetery is a cemetery within Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on Camp Hill, adjacent to Robie Street. History The city's first cemetery, the Old Burying Ground was established in 1749, growing for nearly a century until ...

. His estate at death was evaluated at $251,000.

Gallery

File:Sarah Ann Kieth, Old Burying Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Sarah Ann Keith, Old Burying Ground File:Nova Scotia DSC 2127 (2268172183).jpg, Alexander Keith,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Alexander 1795 births 1873 deaths 19th-century Canadian businesspeople People from Caithness Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Mayors of Halifax, Nova Scotia Conservative Party of Nova Scotia MLCs Colony of Nova Scotia people Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Nova Scotia 19th-century Scottish businesspeople Canadian brewers Dalhousie University alumni Members of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia Canadian Freemasons 19th-century mayors of places in Nova Scotia 19th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Business

Political career

Personal life

Gallery

See also

References