Benjamin Wier was a Canadian businessman and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

.

He was born in Newport Township, Hants County, Nova Scotia

Hants County, Nova Scotia

Hants County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia which was the home of Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Alden Nowlan and Noel Doiron. The county of Hants was created June 17, 1781, and consisted of the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport...

, the son of Benjamin Weir. He married Phoebe Wier, a cousin, and opened a store near Windsor

Windsor, Nova Scotia

Windsor is a town located in Hants County, Mainland Nova Scotia at the junction of the Avon and St. Croix Rivers. It is the largest community in western Hants County with a 2001 population of 3,779 and was at one time the shire town of the county. The region encompassing present day Windsor was...

. He moved to Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

 in 1830. He established himself in the wholesale trade, operating a fleet of schooners that traded goods between Nova Scotia and New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

. Prior to Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...

 in 1867, Wier represented Halifax township from 1851 to 1859 and Lunenburg County from 1859 to 1863 in the colonial Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

. During that period, he served in the province's Executive Council from 1855 to 1856 and from 1859 to 1863. After losing his seat in the Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 election of 1863, he turned his attention to his many business interests. He was president of the Dartmouth Marine Railway and of the Salt Works Company. Weir was also a director of the People's Bank, the Union Marine Insurance Company, the Sydney Marine Railway and the Nova Scotian Telegraph Company. He also served as an alderman for the city of Halifax. Following Confederation, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada on 23 October 1867 by royal proclamation. He represented the senatorial division of Nova Scotia until his death in Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

at the age of 62.