Sir James David Edgar, (August 10, 1841 – July 31, 1899) was a

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. In his twenties, Edgar was a law student, legal editor of the '' Toronto Globe'', an

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and an organizer for the

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. He was also rare among English Canadians of the time for his sympathy for the rights of

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s. Edgar was married to Matilda Ridout and together they had nine children. Born in Hatley,

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(later

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), Edgar was educated at the Lennoxville Classical School (now

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), where his father James Edgar was appointed the Second Master by the Rev. Lucius Doolittle, Rector of

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.McLean, M. J., & Stamp, R. M. (1998). My dearest wife the private and public lives of James David Edgar and Matilda Ridout Edgar. Toronto: Natural Heritage/Natural History. It was reported that despite the young age than his classmates, he is a hard-working student in his class. After the death of his father in 1850, he continued his education in

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. He moved to Toronto as an adult and became a lawyer in 1864. He was elected an alderman in 1866, and was a supporter of

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and the Reform Party. He ran as a Liberal in the 1871 Ontario provincial election, but was defeated by a margin of four votes in his attempt to win a seat in the provincial legislature. He was first elected to the

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in the 1872 federal election, and became

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in the

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of Alexander Mackenzie. He helped bring down the

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government over the

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. However, despite the election of a Liberal government in the ensuing election, Edgar was defeated in his own riding. In 1874, he started a railway company called the Ontario and Pacific Junction Railway. This was an attempt to build a line between Toronto and

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. In 1881, it was renamed the ''Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie Railway''. Both ventures failed to win a contract. Fred Cumberland, a partner in the O&PJR venture, formed a rival company called the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway. In 1888, the N&PJR merged with the

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. Edgar was undaunted by these setbacks and in 1889 started a new company called the Belt Line Railway in Toronto. The city's steep ravines made access to some areas very difficult. The land developers of these areas required either a commuter railway or a system of bridges to ease access to their properties for buyers. This new venture sought to build a commuter rail line in Toronto connecting downtown with undeveloped neighbourhoods as far north as

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between the Don River and the Humber River. Eventually two rail loops were built with 44 stations in total. The passenger railway opened in 1892 but ran for only two years, four months before going bankrupt. (The city built bridges, eventually.) He used his experience to become the Liberal's railway

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when he returned to Parliament (and the Opposition benches) through an 1884

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. In the 1880s, Edgar became a vocal opponent of the Protestant Protective Association, an anti-Catholic political party associated with the Ontario Conservative Party. He argued in favour of tolerance and cooperation between English and French Canadians as well as between

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s and

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s. He also argued against the concept of

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, for greater Canadian independence from Britain, and in favour of reciprocity with the

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. When the Liberals formed a government under

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following the 1896 federal election, Edgar was nominated to become

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, and was given a

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. Edgar was in poor health, however, and died in 1899 prior to the end of this term.

Electoral record

References

External links

* * * Russell, C.H. 1996. Tightening the belt: a history of the Toronto Belt Line Railway
City of Toronto Archives
* *
J. D. Edgar family fonds
Archives of Ontario {{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, James David 1841 births 1899 deaths Bishop's College School alumni Speakers of the House of Commons of Canada Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian King's Counsel Lawyers in Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Toronto city councillors Canadian people of Scottish descent 19th-century Canadian lawyers 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario 19th-century Canadian municipal councillors