James Cleland
Encyclopedia
James Cleland was a Scottish
-born merchant and political figure in Ontario
, Canada. He represented Grey North
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1890 to 1898 as a Liberal
member.
He was born in Glasgow
in 1839, apprenticed as a tinsmith
there and came to Canada West in 1857, where he entered the business of selling hardware. In 1862, Cleland married Sarah Butchart. He served as reeve and mayor of Meaford
. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1886, losing to David Creighton
; Cleland defeated Creighton to win the seat in 1890.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born merchant and political figure in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada. He represented Grey North
Grey North
Grey North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Grey into two ridings: Grey South and Grey North...
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1890 to 1898 as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
member.
He was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1839, apprenticed as a tinsmith
Tinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
there and came to Canada West in 1857, where he entered the business of selling hardware. In 1862, Cleland married Sarah Butchart. He served as reeve and mayor of Meaford
Meaford, Ontario
Meaford is a Canadian municipality in Grey County, Ontario. Meaford is located on Nottawasaga Bay, a sub-basin of Georgian Bay, in southern Ontario....
. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1886, losing to David Creighton
David Creighton
David Creighton was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Grey North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1875 to 1890 as a Conservative member....
; Cleland defeated Creighton to win the seat in 1890.