Peter Gow (politician)
Peter Gow (November 20, 1818 – February 24, 1886) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1876.
Peter Gow | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1867–1876 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | James Massie |
| Constituency | Wellington South |
| 10th Mayor of Guelph | |
| In office 1866–1867 | |
| Preceded by | William Clarke |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Higinbotham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 20, 1818 Johnstone, Scotland |
| Died | February 24, 1886 (aged 67) Guelph, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse |
Mary Maxwell Smith (m. 1857) |
| Children | 6 |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Background
He was born in Johnstone, Scotland in 1818, the son of a shoemaker, and came to Brockville in Canada West in 1842. He later moved to Guelph, where he built mills on the Speed River, operated a tannery and produced shoes. He served on the school board and the town council in Guelph; he became reeve in 1857 and served as mayor in 1866 and 1867. He married Mary Maxwell Smith, in 1857 and they had six children.
In 1874, he was elected as the first president of the Ontario Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club.[1]
Politics
In 1867, he was elected to represent Wellington South in the 1st Parliament of Ontario as a Liberal member; he was reelected in 1871 and 1875. In both those elections, the Conservative Party chose not to run a candidate and Gow was acclaimed. He served as Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario from December 1871 to October 1872. During that time, the Mowat government made the decision to locate the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph.[2]
Electoral history
| 1867 Ontario general election: Wellington South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Liberal | Peter Gow | 940 | 58.42 | |||||
| Conservative | Mr. Leslie | 669 | 41.58 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 1,609 | 74.56 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 2,158 | |||||||
| Liberal pickup new district. | ||||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[3] | ||||||||
| 1871 Ontario general election: Wellington South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Liberal | Peter Gow | Acclaimed | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[4] | ||||||||
| Ontario provincial by-election, January 1872: Wellington South Ministerial by-election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Liberal | Peter Gow | Acclaimed | ||||||
| Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[5]: 399 | ||||||||
| 1875 Ontario general election: Wellington South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Liberal | Peter Gow | Acclaimed | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[6] | ||||||||
Later life
In 1876, he resigned for health reasons and was appointed sheriff for Wellington County, continuing to serve until his death in Guelph in 1886.
References
- https://www.curling.ca/hof/people/gow-hon-peter/
- | People in Politics
- "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
- "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
External links
- "Peter Gow". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
- Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history