John Molson Junior (October 14, 1787 – July 12, 1860) was a Canadian politician and entrepreneur. He served as director of

Molson Bank The Molson Bank (sometimes labeled Molsons Bank) was a Canadian bank founded in Montreal, Quebec, by brothers William (1793–1875) and John Molson, Jr. (1787–1860), the sons of brewery magnate John Molson. History In 1850, it was constitute ...

, president of the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad (Canada's first railway), and president of

Montreal General Hospital The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) (french: Hôpital Général de Montréal) 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 ...

. He was the son of the founder of the

Molson family The Molson family of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was founded by John Molson, who immigrated to Canada in 1782 from his home in Lincolnshire, England. They are considered to be one of Canada's most prominent business families with a combined net w ...

dynasty in Canadian business.

Life

Born October 14, 1787, son of

John Molson John Molson (December 28, 1763 – January 11, 1836) was an English-born brewer and entrepreneur in colonial Quebec, which during his lifetime became Lower Canada. In addition to founding Molson Brewery, he built the first steamship and the fi ...

(1763-1836) & Sarah Vaughn (1751-1829), at

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

. Though he was apprenticed to the brewing trade and became a partner in the family brewery in 1816, Molson was primarily a financier. The family monopoly of river transport enabled him, as owner of the ''Swiftsure'', to engage in profitable banking operations during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

, buying bills of exchange at heavy discount in Montreal and disposing of them at a profit in Quebec. He became a director of the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

shortly after its foundation and was vice-president of Molson's Bank from its incorporation in 1855. He was a promoter of the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad, Canada's first railway, and became its president in 1837. His other interests included the first Montreal water works and gas company, fire insurance and various industrial enterprises. He succeeded his father as a life governor, vice-president and president of the Montreal General Hospital. As chairman of the

Constitutional Association The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan. History The ''Kenseikai'' was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the ''Rikken Dōshikai'' (led by Katō Takaaki), ''Chūseikai'' (led by Ozaki Yukio) and the ''Kō ...

he fought on the government side in the

Rebellions of 1837 Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

and was wounded; he was given the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the militia. In 1838-41 he was a member of the

Special Council of Lower Canada The Special Council of Lower Canada was an appointed body which administered Lower Canada until the Union Act of 1840 created the Province of Canada. Following the Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du B ...

Marriage and children

In 1816 he was wed to his first cousin, Mary Anne Molson (1791-1862), daughter of Thomas Molson (1768-1803) of

Lincolnshire, England Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

and Anne Atkinson (1765-1813). John and Mary Ann had one daughter and five sons. One of their sons, John Molson III, also married his cousin, the daughter of his father's brother

William Molson William Molson (November 5, 1793 – February 18, 1875) was a Canadian politician, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was the founder and President of Molson Bank, which was in 1925 absorbed by the Bank of Montreal. He was the son of the founder ...

, and become a president of the

. John died on July 12, 1860 at Montreal.''Molson: The Birth of a Business Empire'', Douglas Hunter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Molson, John 1787 births 1860 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Canadian people of English descent John Molson Jr. Businesspeople from Montreal Politicians from Montreal Pre-Confederation Quebec people 19th-century American businesspeople