Colin Campbell Ferrie (May 1, 1808 – November 9, 1856) was a Canadian merchant, banker, and politician. Born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, the son of

Adam Ferrie Adam Ferrie (April 15, 1777 – December 24, 1863) was a Canadians, Canadian businessman and political figure who lived much of his life in Scotland. Biography Ferrie was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland in 1777 and se ...

and Rachel Campbell, he came to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

from

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 1824 to work in his father's new wholesale and forwarding company. By 1829, Colin, his brother

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

and his father had joined forces to supply and run a store in

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, under the name of Colin Ferrie and Company. He married Catherine Beasley in 1836, and they had two sons. From 1829 to 1833, additional stores were opened in places such as

Brantford Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...

, Preston,

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, Dundas, and Waterloo. A founder of the Gore Bank, Ferrie was its second president from 1839 until his death in 1856. He was the first mayor of

and served in 1847. Ferrie also represented Hamilton in the

Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was the elected part of the legislature for the province of Upper Canada, functioning as the lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada. Its legislative power was subject to veto by the appointed Li ...

from 1836 to 1841. He died in Hamilton, Canada West in 1856 and was buried in Hamilton Cemetery.

Hamilton Spectator Article

''The following appeared in the Hamilton Spectator's 170th anniversary special edition
See more from the project
.'' Hamilton businessman Colin Campbell Ferrie (1808-1856) was appointed Hamilton's first mayor in 1847 and served for one year. Ferrie was also known for his sprawling estate at Queen and York that was called West Lawn. It was built in 1836 and demolished in 1957 by Tuckett Tobacco Co. Ltd. According to an article in The Spectator from Jan. 21, 1947, "The old York street trail was selected by several prominent citizens of Hamilton as the site for their fine new homes. Crowning the height, Dundurn Castle eclipsed them all, but another palatial residence to the east ran a close second. At York and Queen streets was West Lawn, the home of Colin C. Ferrie, Hamilton's first mayor."

Significance

Ferrie was a major player in local commerce and was a founding member of the Hamilton Board of Trade that was formed in 1845. As mayor, he is remembered for focusing his attention on improving the local economy. He arranged civic financing from the Gore Bank and tried to prepare the city for an anticipated wave of poor and sick Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine of Ireland.

Timeline

''1808'': Born in Glasgow, moving to Montreal in 1824 to work at his father's wholesale business. ''1929:'' Formed his own company with his brother Adam in Hamilton, called Colin Ferrie and Company. The business expanded and opened several stores in communities around Hamilton. ''1836-1841'': He became a founder of the Gore Bank and represented Hamilton in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. ''Jan. 16, 1847:'' Ferrie began his one-year appointment as the newly incorporated city's first mayor. (The first elected mayor in Hamilton was William McKinstry in 1859. Only men were allowed to vote because women's suffrage didn't happen until more than 50 years later). ''1850s'': After his mayoral term, he ran into financial problems after a series of setbacks that included two vessels carrying company goods sinking in Lake Ontario. ''1856:'' After a meeting with officials from the Gore Bank, he collapsed and later died of "an enlargement of the heart." He was 48. Many at the time attributed his demise to the stress he was under from his failing business interests.

Ferrie Street

Ferrie Street is named after Colin Campbell Ferrie. It runs in sections between Cheever and Bay streets.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrie, Colin Campbell 1808 births 1856 deaths Canadian bankers Mayors of Hamilton, Ontario Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Politicians from Glasgow Canadian company founders Immigrants to Lower Canada Province of Canada politicians 19th-century mayors of places in Ontario