Daniel McLachlin (July 17, 1808 – February 6, 1872) was a businessman and political figure in

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 ...

. He represented Renfrew South in the

1st Canadian Parliament The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867, until July 8, 1872 (4 years and 252 days). The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867. It was prorogued prior to the 1872 election. ...

as a Liberal from 1867 to 1869.Michael S. Cross, "McLACHLIN, DANIEL," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 10, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 3, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mclachlin_daniel_10E.html.

Early life and family

McLachlin was born in Pointe-Fortune in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

on 17 July 1808, to Hugh McLachlin and Janet (née McLean).(Baptism Record) Archives Nationales du Quebec a Montreal, Canada Quebec District Judiciaire de Montreal, Registres d'Etat Non-Catholique; No. de Projet: QUEB 49010 (Item 2). Montreal St. Gabriel Presbyterian Church, Folio 13, p. 58. He had many siblings; Mary (born 1795), Alexander (b. 1796), John (b. 1798), Flora (b. 1800), Janet (b. 1802), Dorothy (b. 1804), Ann (b. 1806), Catharine (b. 1810), William (b. 1813), Hugh (b. 1816), Sara (b. 1820), and Christina. The family lived in

Argenteuil Argenteuil () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Argenteuil is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise Departments of France, ...

, Lower Canada. McLachlin married Maria Harrington in 1837. They had eight children together; Jessie, William, Harriet, Hugh, John, Daniel, Eric, and Claude. The family moved to

Arnprior Arnprior is a town in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Arnprior has experienced significant growth in populations with the widening of the Ontario Highway 417 to four lanes. The town experienced an increase in population by 8.4% from 2011 to 2 ...

in 1857.

Career

Daniel entered the timber trade in the Ottawa Valley by November 1834 with his brother William. In 1837, McLachlin moved to

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...

and purchased cutting rights along the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

, Madawaska River and Indian Rivers. He built

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s and

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

s at the

Chaudière Falls The Chaudière Falls (), also known as the Kana:tso or Akikodjiwan Falls, are a set of cascades and waterfall in the centre of the Ottawa-Gatineau National Capital Region (Canada), metropolitan area in Canada where the Ottawa River narrows betw ...

on the Ottawa. He also operated a general store in Bytown with his brother Hugh until 1855. In 1851, he relocated his timber business to the nearly deserted village of

, using the power of the Madawaska River to operate his mills. He also helped promote the development of the settlement there. He had bridges built, helped to bring people in, and took a leading role in promoting public improvements. Two of these involved the Madawaska River Improvement Association (later Company) and a wagon road on the Madawaska River from Arnprior to the Long Rapids. The same year, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Bytown; he did not run in 1854 but was elected in 1861 for

Renfrew Renfrew (; ; ) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former royal house, Renfrew gaine ...

. By 1865, he was running the lumber business with his sons (Hugh, John, and Daniel) under the name "McLachlin Brothers." In 1867, he was elected by acclamation to the

for Renfrew South. He resigned from politics and his business in 1869, leaving the business to his sons, who he'd brought into the business in 1865. He died in Arnprior on February 6, 1872.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLachlin, Daniel 1808 births 1872 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs 19th-century Canadian businesspeople People from Renfrew County 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada