Wilson Seymour Conger
Encyclopedia
Wilson Seymour Conger was a merchant and political figure in Canada West.
He was born in Hallowell Township in Upper Canada
in 1804 and moved to Cobourg
. In 1835, he helped form the Cobourg and Peterborough Railway Company. He served on the Cobourg Board of Police from 1837 to 1841. In 1841, he was appointed sheriff for the Colborne District
and later served in the same post for Peterborough County until 1856.
He served on the town council for Peterborough
from 1850 to 1859, serving as mayor in 1856 and county warden in 1859. In a by-election held in 1856, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
for Peterborough; he was not reelected in 1857. In 1859, he was sued by the town for the withholding of municipal debentures transferred from Wolford Township. He was reelected to the Legislative Assembly in 1863.
He died of tuberculosis
in Peterborough in 1864, while still in office.
Artist Paul Kane
painted several portraits of Conger and his wife between 1834 and 1836.
He was born in Hallowell Township in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1804 and moved to Cobourg
Cobourg, Ontario
Cobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
. In 1835, he helped form the Cobourg and Peterborough Railway Company. He served on the Cobourg Board of Police from 1837 to 1841. In 1841, he was appointed sheriff for the Colborne District
Peterborough County, Ontario
Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is projected to reach a population of 159,840 by 2031, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Ontario Population Projections Update...
and later served in the same post for Peterborough County until 1856.
He served on the town council for Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
from 1850 to 1859, serving as mayor in 1856 and county warden in 1859. In a by-election held in 1856, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
for Peterborough; he was not reelected in 1857. In 1859, he was sued by the town for the withholding of municipal debentures transferred from Wolford Township. He was reelected to the Legislative Assembly in 1863.
He died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Peterborough in 1864, while still in office.
Artist Paul Kane
Paul Kane
Paul Kane was an Irish-born Canadian painter, famous for his paintings of First Nations peoples in the Canadian West and other Native Americans in the Oregon Country....
painted several portraits of Conger and his wife between 1834 and 1836.