James McShane
James McShane (November 7, 1833 – December 14, 1918) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was mayor of Montreal, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, and a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
Mayor James McShane | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st Mayor of Montreal | |
| In office 1891–1893 | |
| Preceded by | Jacques Grenier |
| Succeeded by | Alphonse Desjardins |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Montreal Centre | |
| In office 1895–1896 | |
| Preceded by | John Joseph Curran |
| Succeeded by | None, district abolished |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Montréal division no. 6 | |
| In office 1890–1892 | |
| Preceded by | None, district created |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Kennedy |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Montréal-Centre | |
| In office 1886–1890 | |
| Preceded by | George Washington Stephens |
| Succeeded by | None, district abolished |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Montréal-Ouest | |
| In office 1878–1886 | |
| Preceded by | John Wait McGauvran |
| Succeeded by | John Smythe Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 7, 1833 Montreal, Lower Canada |
| Died | December 14, 1918 (aged 85) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Quebec Liberal Party |
| Profession | businessman |
| Cabinet | Quebec: Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works (1887-1888) |
Background
Born in Montreal, the son of James McShane and Ellen Quinn, he worked as an exporter of livestock to England. He served as a volunteer in the militia during the Fenian raids in 1866.
Montreal city politics
He represented the Sainte-Anne Ward on the Montreal City Council, from 1868 to 1873, 1874 to 1881 and from 1883 to 1887. From 1891 to 1893, he was the mayor of Montreal.
Member of the Provincial Legislature
In 1873, he was defeated as the Liberal Party of Quebec candidate in a Quebec provincial by-election in the riding of Montréal-Ouest.
He was elected in the 1878 provincial election and re-elected in 1881. He was elected in Montréal-Centre in 1886, and in Montréal division no. 6 in 1890. From 1887 to 1888, he was commissioner of agriculture and public works in the cabinet of Premier Honoré Mercier. He was defeated in the 1892 provincial election.
Federal politics
In 1895, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in a by-election in the riding of Montreal Centre. A Liberal, he was defeated in the 1896 federal election in the riding of St. Anne.
| By-election on 27 December 1895 | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | James McShane | acclaimed | |||
Retirement
After leaving politics, he was involved with the Montreal Harbour Commission and was harbour-master from 1900 to 1912. After his death in 1918, he was entombed at the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.[1]
Gallery
References
- Répertoire des personnages inhumés au cimetière ayant marqué l'histoire de notre société (in French). Montreal: Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.
- James McShane – Parliament of Canada biography
- "James McShane". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
- "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
