John Frothingham
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Frothingham (June 1788 – 22 May 1870) was a Canadian merchant. He established
British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...
's largest
wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
hardware house, Frothingham & Workman. He was President of the City Bank of Montreal from 1834 to 1849, and a generous contributor to Queen's University,
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
and Montreal's
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
schools. The house he purchased in the 1830s, ''Piedmont'' (demolished in 1939), was one of the early estates of the
Golden Square Mile The Golden Square Mile (, ), also known as the Square Mile, is the nostalgic name given to an urban neighbourhood developed principally between 1850 and 1930 at the foot of Mount Royal, in the west-central section of downtown Montreal in Quebec, Ca ...
. In 1890, its ten
acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
s of grounds were purchased for $86,000 by Lords Strathcona and
Mount Stephen Mount Stephen, , is a mountain located in the Kicking Horse River Valley of Yoho National Park, km east of Field, British Columbia, Field, British Columbia, Canada. The mountain was named in 1886 for George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, Geo ...
, on which they built the Royal Victoria Hospital.


Early life

In 1788, Frothingham was born at
Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
. He was the son of The Hon. John Frothingham (1749-1826), a graduate of
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
who became a Judge of the Superior Court of
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
and kept a summer house at Portland. His mother, Martha (1763-1834), was the daughter of Samuel May (1723–1794), a prominent merchant of Roxbury,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. He was a first cousin of
Samuel Joseph May Samuel Joseph May (September 12, 1797 – July 1, 1871) was an American reformer during the nineteenth century who championed education, women's rights, and Abolitionism in the United States, abolition of slavery. May argued on behalf of all ...
. From an early age, John was employed in his uncle's, Samuel May's, hardware firm in Boston. In 1809, he was sent to
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 ...
to open a branch there. Following the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, Americans tended to be discriminated against both socially and in business, and he suffered a few early setbacks. However, Frothingham re-established himself by setting up his own hardware business in partnership with his younger brother, Joseph May Frothingham, who died in 1832. In 1836, Frothingham went into partnership with William Workman, and their firm became the largest hardware and iron wholesale house in
British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...
. By 1853, Frothingham & Workman had moved to larger premises and started to manufacture some of their own merchandise.


Life in Montreal

Frothingham promoted and invested in a wide variety of business interests that were being formed during the expansion of Montreal in the 1840s. Among others, these included,
Montreal Board of Trade The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (until 2016: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal) () is an association of businesses and businesspeople in Greater Montreal. In its own words it serves to "act as the voice of Montréal's busin ...
, the St Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, the
Montreal Stock Exchange The Montreal Exchange (MX; ), formerly the Montreal Stock Exchange (MSE), is a derivatives exchange, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that trades futures contracts and options on equities, indices, currencies, ETFs, energy and interest rates. ...
and the Canada Inland Steam Navigation Company. He was also associated with the British and Canadian School of Montreal and the Montreal Horticultural Society. His principal business interest outside of his hardware firm was the City Bank of Montreal. Founded in 1831, it was the only bank since 1817 to have successfully broken the financial
monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...
held by the
Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (, ), abbreviated as BMO (pronounced ), is a Canadian multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank, making it Canada ...
. The initial capital had been supplied by investors from New York and Frothingham was associated with the bank from its origins, along with several other prominent Montrealers, who in opposition to the Scots-Quebecers were almost all
English Canadian English Canadians (), or Anglo-Canadians (), refers to either Canadians of English ethnic origin and heritage or to English-speaking or Anglophone Canadians of any ethnic origin; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadians. Cana ...
,
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
or American. Frothingham held a substantial quantity of the bank's stock and he was a director of the bank for about sixteen years, before serving as the bank's president from 1834 to 1849. He resigned in 1849 after the bank sustained heavy losses and was succeeded by his close friend and business partner, William Workman. Frothingham took no interest in politics.


Family and last years

In 1816, at
Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...
, Frothingham married his first cousin, Louisa Goddard Archibald (1794–1843), daughter of Azor Gale Archibald (1763–1810) and Lucretia May (1765–1811). They were the parents of seven children, but the four eldest all died young. The three surviving children of the Frothinghams were: *George Henry Frothingham (1823–1875), of Montreal. He joined his father's business and in 1844 married Louisa Davenport Hayward (1826-1876), daughter of Joseph Henshaw Hayward (1789-1853), of Roxbury,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, and his wife Mary May Davenport. *Frederick Frothingham (1825–1891), of
Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...
. Educated at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, at
Greenfield, Massachusetts Greenfield is the county seat, and sole city, of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Commun ...
in 1872, he married Lois Ripley Wright (1833–1900), of
Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...
. * Louisa Goddard Frothingham (1827–1910). After her mother's death in 1843, she vowed to stay with her father at Piedmont as his companion and housekeeper for as long as he may live. Her eventual husband, John Henry Robinson Molson, son of
Thomas Molson Thomas Molson (September 1, 1791 – February 22, 1863) was a Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist, co-founder of Molson Distillery and member of the Molson family. Born September 1, 1791, son of John Molson (1763–1836) and Sarah Insley V ...
of Montreal, had to wait thirty years before he could marry her, by which time she was too old to have children. They continued to live at Piedmont and she worked closely with the Montreal
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
Orphan Asylum and helped pioneer the cause for higher education for women. Among many other charitable bequests, she gave over $120,000 to the Protestant Hospital for the Insane; $240,000 to the
Montreal General Hospital The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) () is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818–1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and is located ...
and $100,000 to the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning. In the early 1830s, Frothingham had purchased Piedmont House from Louis-Charles Foucher, one of the early estates of the
Golden Square Mile The Golden Square Mile (, ), also known as the Square Mile, is the nostalgic name given to an urban neighbourhood developed principally between 1850 and 1930 at the foot of Mount Royal, in the west-central section of downtown Montreal in Quebec, Ca ...
. The house stood among
orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...
s and formal gardens and was approached by a long tree-lined drive. He purchased the house in the hope that the country air would cure his ailing wife.The Square Mile - Merchant Princes of Montreal (1987), Donald MacKay When
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
met during the winter at Montreal, Piedmont had been used as the
Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
s residence. The house was situated on the
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
campus and was demolished in 1939. Having retired from business in 1859, Frothingham lived quietly at Piedmont. Frothingham was a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
and a generous contributor to Queen's University,
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
and Montreal's
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
schools. His papers and diaries are kept at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
.


References


External links

*
Hardware House of Frothingham & Workman, MontrealBiography of Louise Goddard Frothingham, afterwards Molson, in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frothingham, John 1788 births 1870 deaths Alcott family May family Businesspeople from Montreal Businesspeople from Portland, Maine 19th-century Canadian merchants Canadian bank presidents 19th-century American businesspeople