David Reesor (January 18, 1823 – April 28, 1902) was an

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

businessman and political figure. He was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the ...

for King's division from 1867 to 1901. He was born in Reesorville (later the Village of Markham),

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of t ...

in 1823 to parents Abraham Reesor (1790–1831) and

Anna Dettwiler Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221 ...

(1787 - 1854), descended from

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-sp ...

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Ra ...

immigrants who first settled in

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvan ...

. David was the nephew of

Abraham Stouffer Abraham Stouffer (January 8, 1781 – October 27, 1851) is the founder of the town of Stouffville, Ontario. Background and early years in the United States, 1781-1804 Abraham Stouffer was born January 8, 1781, near Chambersburg, Lancaster C ...

, founder of

Stouffville Stouffville () is the primary urban area within the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is situated within the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe. The urb ...

, and of Peter Reesor, co-founder of Reesorville (later Markham) and Cedar Valley. In 1848, he married Emily McDougall, who was the sister of politician William McDougall. Reesor was editor of the '' Markham Economist''. He was also a magistrate and notary public, reeve of

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...

(1851, 1856–57 and 1859–1860) and served as warden for

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

and

Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel Island, Queensland *Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated communi ...

counties. Though Reesor came from a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaig ...

background, he became a lieutenant-colonel in the local militia. 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 a ...

for King's division in 1860 and served until

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

, when he was named to the Senate. During the debates preceding Confederation, Reesor supported an elected Senate. He resigned in 1901. He died at Rosedale in north

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

in 1902 and buried with wife at

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 ...

. His home at 166 Main Street North in Markham (built 1876) still stands. Senator Reesor’s Drive in Markham is named in his honour. Reesor married Emily McDougall in 1847, who was the sister to Father of Confederation William McDougall.

References

External links

*
''A Cyclopedia of Canadian Biography. Being chiefly men of the time''
ed. G.M. Rose (Toronto, 1888).
''The Canadian parliamentary companion''
ed. C.H. Mackintosh & J.A. Gemmill (Ottawa, 1889).
''The Canadian biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men''
(Toronto, 1880), pp. 697f.
''Commemorative biographical record of the county of York, Ontario''
(Toronto, 1907). {{DEFAULTSORT:Reesor, David 1823 births 1902 deaths Canadian Methodists Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada 19th-century Methodists Canadian newspaper editors Canadian male journalists Mayors of Markham, Ontario Canadian militia officers