Sir David Lewis Macpherson, (September 12, 1818 – August 16, 1896) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He was a member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

from 1867 to 1896. He was knighted for his service to the country in 1884.

Life and career

Macpherson was born in Castle Leathers in Inverness parish,

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 1818 and came to

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 ...

with his family in 1835. He became a clerk in the

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 ...

office of his older brother's shipping business, which transported passengers and freight in Upper and

. During the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (), commonly referred to as the Patriots' Rebellion () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec). Together wit ...

, from November 4 until December 31, 1838, Macpherson served as a Private in the Montreal Light Infantry. In 1842, he became a senior partner in the business. In partnership with

Alexander Tilloch Galt Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, (September 6, 1817 – September 19, 1893) was a politician and Fathers of Confederation, Father of Confederation, the Canadian Confederation, union of British North American colonies into Canada. Early life He w ...

and Luther Hamilton Holton, Macpherson acquired the shares of the Montreal and Kingston Railway, knowing that their rail line was required as part of a planned railway connection between Montreal and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. He was part of a contracting firm formed to extend the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

in Upper Canada. In 1853, he moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He helped set up the Toronto Rolling Mills Company, which supplied track to the Grand Trunk. He also served as a director of the

Bank of Upper Canada The Bank of Upper Canada was established in 1821 under a charter granted by the legislature of Upper Canada in 1819 to a group of Kingston merchants. The charter was appropriated by the more influential Executive Councillors to the Lt. Governor, t ...

. In 1864, he was elected to the

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada () was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known ...

for Saugeen division and, in 1867, he was appointed to the Senate 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 ...

and served until his death. Macpherson was a member of the arbitration board that dealt with the financial issues associated with the creation of the separate provinces of

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 ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

after

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

. He led the resistance in the Senate to John Rose's proposed changes to banking legislation, and some of Macpherson's proposals made their way into the Bank Act of 1871. He served as Speaker of the Senate from 1880 to 1883. In the early eighties, the legalization of marriage with a deceased wife's sister was under discussion in the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

. On the day that the bill received its second reading in the Red Chamber, Macpherson invited Mrs. Susan Anna Wiggins, whose 'The Gunhilda Letters: Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister' letters of support for the bill had gained attention, to take a seat on his right, an honour which was never before accorded to any woman but the wife of a Governor-General. To commemorate his time as Speaker, Macpherson, as well as other Speakers of the Senate, had his name crafted in stained glass in the ceiling of the front foyer of the Senate Chamber. Macpherson also served in cabinet as a

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

from 1880 to 1883 and as

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

from October 1883 to 1885. In later life, Macpherson suffered from

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and he spent part of the summer and fall each year recovering at spas in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He attempted to encourage settlement in western Canada along the planned route for the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

, but settlers found land in the western United States more attractive. Problems with land policy, unwillingness to take action and a basic lack of understanding in Macpherson's ministry of the concerns of the

Métis people The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They hav ...

helped set the stage for 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 1885. He resigned from his cabinet post later that year. He died at sea on August 16, 1896, on board the steamship Labrador, in mid-ocean, and his remains were buried at sea.

Family

Lady Elizabeth Macpherson by William Notman

David Lewis Macpherson married on June 18, 1844, Elizabeth Sarah Molson, daughter of William Molson, President of

Molson Bank The Molsons Bank was a Canadian bank founded in Montreal, Quebec, by brothers William (1793–1875) and John Molson, Jr. (1787–1860), the sons of brewery magnate John Molson. Operations In 1837, the bank opened and issued its first banknotes. ...

, and his wife, Elizabeth Badgley, and granddaughter of the Hon.

John Molson John Molson (28 December 1763 – 11 January 1836) was an English people, English-born brewer and entrepreneur in colonial Province of Quebec (1763–91), Quebec, which during his lifetime became Lower Canada. In addition to founding Molson Brewe ...

, member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Lower Canada, and President of the Bank of Montreal. Elizabeth was born and educated in Montreal. The couple lived for forty years at their mansion, Chestnut Park,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Lady Macpherson volunteered with the Toronto Ladies' Educational Association. Lady Macpherson died, after a long illness, at San Remo, Italy, March 23, 1894, aged 74. Her remains were cremated, and the ashes were deposited in

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. It was opened in November 1876 and is located north of Moore Park, a neighbourhood of Toronto. The cemetery has k ...

. The Honourable William Miller, K.C., pronounced in the Senate a tribute to Sir David and Lady Macpherson after the former's death. The couple had two sons and five daughters. Elizabeth Frances Dobell was the wife of the Hon.

Richard Reid Dobell Richard Reid Dobell, (January 27, 1836 – January 11, 1902) was a Canadian businessman and politician.Who Was Who, Published by A&C Black Limited. Online edition, 2020 Biography Born in Liverpool, England, and educated at Liverpool Coll ...

, M.P., P.C., Quebec. Naomi Beckett was the wife of Thomas Beckett. Helen Bankes was the wife of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Meyrick Bankes,

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First World War, First and World War II, Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 t ...

, London. Christina Ridout was the wife of P. F. Ridout, Esquire, Toronto. Isabel Louise Kirkpatrick was the wife of Sir

George Airey Kirkpatrick Sir George Airey Kirkpatrick (September 13, 1841 – December 13, 1899) was a Canadian politician who was the 4th Speaker of the House of Commons from 1883 to 1887 and a Member of Parliament from 1870 to 1892. Early life Born in 1841, ...

, P.C., K.C.M.G., formerly

Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

, Toronto.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macpherson, David Lewis 1818 births 1896 deaths Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian senators from Ontario Montreal Annexation Manifesto signers Speakers of the Senate of Canada Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario People who died at sea Immigrants to Lower Canada Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec

Life and career

Family

Archives

References