James Livingston (November 29, 1838April 15, 1920) was an

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 ...

businessman and politician. He represented Waterloo South in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1879 to 1882 and in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

from 1882 to 1900 as a Liberal member.

Life and career

He was born in

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

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 1838, the son of a weaver. He worked at weaving as a youth and then came to Perth County,

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 ...

in 1856. A year later, Livingston moved to Conestogo in

Waterloo County Waterloo County was a county in Canada West in the United Province of Canada from 1853 until 1867, then in the Canadian province of Ontario from 1867 until 1973. It was the direct predecessor of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Situated on ...

where he worked for

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

growers, soon afterwards becoming manager. In 1865, he went into business with his brother growing flax at Wellesley. The company expanded into the production of

linseed oil Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil or flax oil (in its edible form), is a colorless to yellowish oil obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant (''Linum usitatissimum''). The oil is obtained by pressing, sometimes followed by ...

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

, also opening a

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

and general store. The business steadily expanded due to Livingston's shrewd business sense, and quickly acquired holdings in Western Canada as well as Michigan. As both the Livingston family and business grew, James required the assistance of his new son-in-law, who managed the Michigan holdings. He served as reeve for Wilmot Township from 1878 to 1879. In 1879, he was elected to the Ontario assembly but resigned his seat in 1882 to run for a seat in the federal parliament. He died in Kitchener at the age of 81. He is buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Baden. Livingston's former residence,

Castle Kilbride Castle Kilbride is the former residence of James Livingston (Canadian politician), James Livingston, a Canadian member of parliament, and owner of flax and linseed oil mills. It was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Histor ...

, has been designated a

Canadian National Historic Site National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment (Canada), Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of na ...

. Livingston married Louise Liersch in 1861, with whom he had 12 children: eight daughters and four sons. John Peter (J.P.), one of James' sons, succeeded his father as head of the Livingston empire; he acquired the famed home, "Castle Kilbride", upon James' death in 1920. J.P. and wife, Laura, had one child, Laura Louise Livingston. Laura Louise married Harris Veitch, who together had three children. By the fifth decade of the twentieth century, the flax industry had begun a decline, and so too did the Livingston empire. Laura Louise and Harris were forced to sell the home by 1986, and auctioned off the home's furnishings in 1988. Unfortunately "Castle Kilbride" sat vacant for number of years until the Township of Wilmot purchased it and restored it to its original Victorian Era beauty. The Livingston home remains 'the jewel of Wilmot Township'.

Electoral record

References

External links

Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, James 1838 births 1920 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario People from Woolwich, Ontario Immigrants to the Province of Canada People from Wilmot, Ontario Politicians from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo 19th-century mayors of places in Ontario 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario