Edward Wilkes Rathbun (October 4, 1842 – November 24, 1903) was an American-born entrepreneur and political figure in

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 ...

, Canada. The son of Hugo Burghardt Rathbun and Louisa Storm, he was born in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

, was educated in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and worked for a trading company based in New York City. In 1862, Rathbun came to Mill Point (later

Deseronto Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located at the mouth of the Napanee River on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, on the northern side of Lake Ontario. It is located 5 km from Highway 401, is the east ...

) 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 ...

where his father had established a sawmill operation. In 1864, he became manager for his father's company. The sawmill was destroyed by fire in 1872 and a larger sawmill was built. The company could draw on 575 square miles (1489 km²) of timber limits to produce lumber. Rathbun became president and general manager of the company in 1883; following the death of his father in 1886, he became sole owner. He had also expanded into other businesses: a shipyard, a

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

, a cedar mill, a cement works, a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

company and a sash, blind and door factory. The Deseronto Gas Works produced gas for lighting from the sawdust that was a by-product of the sawmill operation. In 1883, he took over the Napanee, Tamworth and Quebec Railway to facilitate transportation of raw materials and manufactured goods; it was expanded to become the

Bay of Quinte Railway The Bay of Quinte Railway was a short-line railway in eastern Ontario, Canada. It was formed as the Napanee, Tamworth and Quebec Railway (NT&QR), chartered in 1878 by Edward Rathbun and Alexander Campbell, with plans to run from Napanee thr ...

. Rathbun also established a railway-car works, a

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

plant, a wood-distillation works which produced charcoal and alcohol and an iron-smelting furnace. By 1900, Rathbun had become a millionaire. Rathbun served as Deseronto mayor from 1889 until his death in 1903. The Rathbun company paid close to half of the municipal taxes in Deseronto; the family donated land for the town cemetery, concert hall, park and church. Although he never ran for provincial or federal office, Rathbun maintained close ties to powerful players in the governments of Ontario and Canada, such as

Richard John Cartwright Sir Richard John Cartwright (December 4, 1835 – September 24, 1912) was a Canadian businessman and politician. Cartwright was one of Canada's most distinguished federal politicians during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a ...

, Alexander Campbell and

Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario ...

. He was married twice: first to Elizabeth How Burt in 1863 and then to Bunella McMurrich, the daughter of John McMurrich, in 1873. Rathbun died in Deseronto at the age of 61. His son

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

took over the operation of the company.

References

1842 births 1903 deaths American emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario 19th-century mayors of places in Ontario Businesspeople from Ontario {{Ontario-politician-stub