Peter McGill (August 1789 – September 28, 1860) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman who served as the second mayor of

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 ...

from 1840 to 1842.

Biography

He was born Peter McCutcheon in the village of Creebridge, Wigtownshire (now

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...

) in

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 ...

. His parents were John McCutcheon and his second wife, Mary McGill. McGill arrived in Montreal in 1809. In 1821, he changed his name when he became the heir of his uncle John McGill, at the latter's request and the death of his aunt Mary in 1819. McGill held a seat in the

Legislative Council of Lower Canada The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the Parliament of Lower Canada from 1792 until 1838. The Legislative Council consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canad ...

from 1832 to 1837, the Special Council of Lower Canada from 1838 to 1841, and the Legislative Council of the United Provinces from 1841 to 1860. McGill served as president of 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 ...

from 1834 to 1860. He founded the first railway company in Canada in 1834. It is he, rather than

James McGill James McGill (6 October 1744 – 19 December 1813) was a Scottish-born businessman, politician, slaveholder, and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He was elected to the Legislative Assembl ...

, who is depicted in the stained-glass mural in the McGill station of the

Montreal metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

, even though the station is named for its proximity to

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, ...

. McGill was St. Andrew's Society of Montreal's first president. Rue Peter-McGill in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough is named after him.

References

External links

* * 1789 births 1860 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Quebec 19th-century Canadian businesspeople Bank of Montreal presidents Businesspeople from Montreal Members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada Members of the Special Council of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada Mayors of Montreal People from Dumfries and Galloway Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery {{Quebec-mayor-stub