Robert Ironside, (b. 27 November 1854 – d. October 10, 1910) was a Canadian from

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

whose parents had immigrated from

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 pursuits, beyond businessman, involved cattle breeding and

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

. In 1883, Robert came to

Manitou, Manitoba Manitou is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Pembina within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. The Boundary Trail Railway is based in Manitou. The community's motto is "More ...

in the employ of John Elliott and Sons, a farm equipment manufacturer. By 1885, he and a partner had opened a lumber and coal business. During the North-West rebellion they supplied beef to the army. Although the partnership ended quickly, he and his partner maintained business connections with both expanding to surrounding communities. Ironside built a large grain warehouse in

La Rivière, Manitoba La Rivière is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in Manitoba, Canada. It is located 11 km west of the town of Manitou on Highway 3. It is located in the Municipality of Pembina. La Riviere was founded 1886 b ...

where he competed successfully in the grain business. He also raised, bought and exported beef from the area which coincided with the arrival of access to a railroad. The cattle business led to a large modern abattoir in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

and shipping meat in refrigerated railway cars. During this period he represented Manitou in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba () is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at List of Manitoba genera ...

. His departure for Montreal in 1896 to manage the export business brought his promising political career to an end. He continued to reside in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

until his death.

External links

''Dictionary of Canadian Biography''''Manitoba Historical Society: Memorable Manitobans''
Canadian businesspeople People from Manitou, Manitoba 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba 1854 births 1910 deaths {{Canada-hist-stub