Robert Simpson (September 17, 1834
– December 14, 1897) was the Scottish founder of Simpson's department store chain in Canada.

Life

He was born in

Strathspey Strathspey may refer to one of the following: * Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland * Strathspey Camanachd Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the ...

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

, Scotland in 1834 to Peter Simpson and Jane Christie Parmouth. His father was a general store owner, and Simpson was trained in the drapery trade in

Elgin, Moray Elgin (; sco, Ailgin; gd, Eilginn, ) is a town (former cathedral city) and formerly a Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher gr ...

before emigrating to Newmarket, Province of Canada at the age of 21 where he worked at his uncle's dry goods store. Before long, Simpson started up his own store in Newmarket, Ontario as the Simpson & Trent Groceries, Boots, Shoes and Dry Goods (1858–1870) and later as the

Robert Simpson Company The Robert Simpson Company Limited, commonly known as Simpson's until 1972, then as Simpsons, and in Quebec sometimes as Simpson, was a Canadian department store chain that had its earliest roots in a store opened in 1858 by Robert Simpson. I ...

from 1870 to 1871. Simpson and his family relocated to Toronto in 1871 and in 1872 he opened a pioneer department store in Toronto that eventually expanded into the major national chain, Simpson's. For decades, Simpson's store was in a rivalry with fellow retailer Timothy Eaton on Yonge Street. Simpson married Mary Anne Botsford and had one daughter, Margaret, who married the grandson of William Hamilton Merritt, William Hamilton Merritt III in 1890. The Merritts did not have any children thus ending the Simpson lineage. Robert Simpson died in 1897 and is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

Legacy

Margaret Simpson, daughter of Robert Simpson married William Hamilton Merritt (1855–1918) in 1890. She is buried with him at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. James Sutherland, his cousin, owned and operated a trading business from 1871 until his death in 1889. His first store at Main and Timothy Streets in Newmarket is occupied by small retail buildings. As for the Toronto location at 184 Yonge Street, it was later rebuilt by Robert Jameison and later became the

F. W. Woolworth Building (Toronto) The Woolworth building, located at Queen Street West and Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, pre-dates the Toronto Eaton Centre. History Early Tenants Built in 1895 by Curry, Baker and Company Architects, the building was once site of Elliot Tho ...

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Robert 1834 births 1897 deaths Canadian merchants Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople People from Moray Businesspeople from Toronto People from Newmarket, Ontario Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to the Province of Canada