Robert Lee (March 10, 1862 – August 5, 1925) was a politician in

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and a mayor of

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Biography

Lee was born in

Lanark County Lanark County is a county and Census divisions of Canada, census division located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, Ontario, Perth, which was first settled in 1816Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth ...

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(Ontario), on March 10, 1862. He graduated from the Dominion Business College in

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. He married Annette Wilson, with whom he had a daughter and two sons, in 1897. He served as a member of the Lanark City Council from 1892 until 1898, after which he moved to Edmonton. He was in partnership with John Ross in grain trading, insurance, and loans under the name Ross & Lee until 1902, after which he partnered with W I Crafts in real estate, timber, and coal mining under the name Crafts & Lee (another partner was admitted in 1905 as they became Crafts, Lee & Gallinger). He served on the public school board from 1902 until 1904. He first sought municipal office in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...

, when he was elected to a two-year term as alderman on

Edmonton City Council The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...

, finishing fourth of twelve candidates in an election in which the top five candidates were elected. He resigned midway through his term to run for mayor in the 1908 election, when he defeated Thomas Bellamy by 1303 votes to 639. He was re-elected in

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escapes death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Janu ...

, defeating Robert Manson, but did not seek re-election in

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

and stayed out of municipal politics thereafter. In 1905 he erected the Lee Block on the corner of Jasper Avenue and Second Street (102 Street). The building housed, among other businesses, Reed's Bazaar. It was destroyed by fire in 1913 but a reconstruction of the building now stands at

Fort Edmonton Park Fort Edmonton Park (sometimes referred to as "Fort Edmonton") is an attraction in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Named for the first enduring European post in the area of modern-day Edmonton, the park is the largest living history museum in Canada by ...

. He was active with the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

and the Liberal Party of Alberta. Robert Lee died August 5, 1925.

References

Edmonton Public Library Biography of Robert LeeCity of Edmonton biography of Robert Lee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Robert 1862 births 1925 deaths Mayors of Edmonton People from Lanark County Canadian Presbyterians 19th-century Canadian municipal councillors 20th-century mayors of places in Alberta