Cornelius Gallagher (Canadian Politician)
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Cornelius Gallagher (December 31, 1854 – October 27, 1932) was a Canadian meat merchant and politician in
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
. He served as a municipal councillor and briefly as the third mayor of
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
. Gallagher was born in
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in 1854, the son of an Irish immigrant father. After attending the schools of his birthplace, he moved west to
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
with his family, and became involved in the family meat packing business, established by his father. He would soon move west again to what would later become the province of
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
, where he would continue his business, providing his product to the local police establishments and soldiers during the
North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...
. After his contracts expired there, Gallagher would move again further west, to
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, where he would permanently settle. In Edmonton he established the developing town's largest meat packing business, upon land atop the banks of the
North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
, overlooking the
river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ...
. He would also get involved with the city's local politics, sitting on the
Edmonton Town Council The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
in the 1890s and early 1900s. In 1896, after the incumbent mayor had resigned, the town council selected Gallagher to briefly be the interim mayor until an election was held later that year. He served one more aldermanic term, but retired after defeat in the 1903 and 1907 elections. In 1911, he would also retire from his meat business. In retirement, Gallagher lived on a lavish estate on land he owned atop the Edmonton River Valley until his death in 1932.


Early life and career

Gallagher was born on December 31, 1854, in
Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...
to Patrick and Katherine (née Maher) Gallagher. His father, Patrick came to
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from
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
at the age of 14, and worked in the meat industry, being a wholesale meat merchant and meat packer. His mother was a native of Saint John. Cornelius Gallagher would attend schooling during the 1870s in his hometown; later joining his father in his meat business. When his father relocated to Winnipeg in 1877, he established a wholesale and retail meat distribution business, P. Gallagher and Son, which Cornelius and his brother, Edward would work in. Cornelius Gallagher in 1888 moved to Battleford, North-West Territory (today in Saskatchewan) in 1888, where he bought out his father's firm's interests. There, he was on a contract to supply troops stationed in the aftermath of the suppression of the
North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...
. In 1889, he moved south to Regina, where his business, Childs & Gallagher, supplied meat to the
North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...
. He remained there for two years, until 1891, when his contract with the Mounties expired.


Career in Edmonton

In 1891, Gallagher relocated, this time to
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, also located in the then-
Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...
. He had been intrigued with the fact that majority of the territory's
wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
and vegetable crops came from the Edmonton area, and scenting a business opportunity, decided to settle there. Purchasing a lot for his business less than 24 hours after arriving in Edmonton, Gallagher established with
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
based businessman, William Roper Hull, the Gallagher-Hull Meat Company, a wholesale and retail butcher. Incorporated on January 6, 1900, the establishment was a two-storey brick building located on the banks of the
North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
, from which the establishment relied on for its freshwater supply. It contained rooms for slaughtering the animals, storage,
butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...
ing and preparation of the meat. Offering a variety of different proteins, such as
veal Veal is the meat of Calf (animal), calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any List of cattle breeds, breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of Dairy cattle, dairy b ...
,
beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
, lamb,
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,
chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
,
goose A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egy ...
, and
pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
, the business rose to become the largest of its kind in the developing city of Edmonton, producing over of meat per year by the turn of the century. He would operate the establishment until his retirement in 1911. He also had interests in the brick industry, founding and serving as president of a local brick company.


Civic politics

Gallagher first sought public office in
1893 Events January * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * January 6 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress; th ...
, when he was elected to
Edmonton Town Council The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
. In an aldermanic race in which the top six candidates were elected, he gained the final spot. On his first term on council he sat on the Licensing, and Health & Relief committees. He was re-elected in
1894 Events January * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States. * Ja ...
, again placing sixth of nine candidates. Once this term expired in 1896, Gallagher stayed out of politics for several months until mayor
Herbert Charles Wilson Herbert Charles Wilson (December 7, 1859 – December 17, 1909) was a Canadians, Canadian politician and physician. He was an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territo ...
resigned over a dispute involving town funds. It fell to the council to fill the mayor's position. Gallagher was nominated by John Cameron and John Kelly; as there were no rival candidates, he won by acclamation. He was the first mayor of Edmonton never to be elected to that position; ( Frederick John Mitchell and Terry Cavanagh would later join him in that distinction). He was sworn in at the town council meeting on October 27, 1896. During his brief term as mayor, Gallagher oversaw the town during a time when many prospectors headed to the Klondike Gold Rush saw Edmonton as a stopover point. He also became the inaugural president of the
Edmonton Hockey Club The Edmonton Hockey Club was a Canadian amateur men's ice hockey club first organized in 1894 and formally established in 1896. The club consisted of two teams, the Thistles who were the elite players, and the Stars who were young prospects. The ...
when it was founded on November 20, 1896. In the ensuing election, Gallagher chose to run for alderman rather than seeking a full term as mayor. This remains the only time in the city's history that a sitting mayor has run for alderman. He was elected, placing fifth of nine candidates. During this term he sat on committees involved in issues relating to finance, police and utilities (fire,
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and
light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...
). He did not seek re-election in the election in December 1897. In December 1898 Gallagher ran for mayor, but was defeated by William S. Edmiston. He stayed out of politics until
1901 December 13 of this year is the beginning of signed 32-bit Unix time, and is scheduled to end in January 19, 2038. Summary Political and military 1901 started with the unification of multiple British colonies in Australia on January ...
, when he was elected to a two-year term as alderman. He was defeated in his re-election bid in
1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...
, placing fifth of nine candidates (the staggered two year aldermanic terms meant that only three of the council's six aldermen were elected each election). His last bid for office took place during the 1907 election, when he placed eleventh of twelve candidates in the aldermanic race.


Personal life

In Edmonton, Gallagher resided in a "grand house" at 9902 111 Street, overlooking Edmonton's river valley. He also owned land referred to as Gallagher's Flats, later renamed Cloverdale. In 1888, he married Exilda Bourre, and with her adopted two children, Mary and Marie. Avidly involved in community affairs, Gallagher was a member and president of both the Edmonton Board of Trade (1898) and Edmonton Exhibition Association. He was a member of the Conservative Party of Alberta and president of the Liberal-Conservative Association of Strathcona, and was of the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
faith. He was also a member of the Swine Breeders' Association, Edmonton Club, and Old Timers' Association. Upon his retirement from his meat business, he embarked on a 6-month trip to
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with his wife.


Death and legacy

Gallagher died at Edmonton on October 27, 1932. He was 77 years old, and was buried at the Edmonton Roman Catholic Cemetery after his funeral at St. Joachim's Church, where he was a parishioner. He was survived by his wife, one daughter and seven siblings. Known as one of the most prominent men in Western Canada, Gallagher was widely praised for his successful business career. The 1912 publication, ''History of the province of Alberta'', states the following: Gallagher Park (formerly named Grassy Hill), in the Cloverdale area in Edmonton is named in his honour. The park is known for hosting the annual
Edmonton Folk Music Festival The Edmonton Folk Music Festival (EFMF) is an annual four-day outdoor music event held the second weekend of August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980 by Don Whalen. and a core group of volunteers. The festival continues to draw man ...
.


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Cornelius 1854 births 1932 deaths Canadian people of Irish descent Mayors of Edmonton Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick Pre-Confederation Alberta people 19th-century mayors of places in Alberta 20th-century Canadian municipal councillors