Robert Simpson (September 17, 1834
– December 14, 1897) was the Scottish founder of

Simpson's 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 ...

department store chain in Canada.

Life

He was born in Strathspey, Moray, 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 ( ; ; ) is a historic 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 ground above th ...

before immigrating 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 Newmarket (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto Area, Greater Toron ...

as the Simpson & Trent Groceries, Boots, Shoes and Dry Goods (1858–1870) and later as the Robert Simpson Company 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,

. For decades, Simpson's store was in a rivalry with fellow retailer

Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was a Northern Irish-Canadian businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, ...

Yonge Street Yonge Street ( ') is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, ...

. Simpson married Mary Anne Botsford and had one daughter, Margaret, who married the grandson of William Hamilton Merritt,

William Hamilton Merritt III William Hamilton Merritt III (June 8, 1855 in St. Catharines, Canada West – October 26, 1918) was a Canadian soldier, author, and mining engineer.Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online: Merritt, William Hamilton. http://www.biographi.ca/009004 ...

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 in 1890. She is buried with him at

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. It was opened in November 1876 and is located north of Moore Park, a neighbourhood of Toronto. The cemetery has k ...

. 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.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Robert 1834 births 1897 deaths People from Moray Scottish drapers 19th-century Canadian merchants Businesspeople from Ontario People from Newmarket, Ontario Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to the Province of Canada Scottish company founders 19th-century Scottish merchants Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto