William Moir Gartshore (1853 - 1931)

Born 3 Apr 1853 in Dundas, Gore, Canada West

Ancestors

Died 23 Aug 1931 at age 78 in London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada

Biography

William M. Gartshore, born in 1853 in Dundas, was the son of John Gartshore and Margaret Moir.^[1] He was educated in the public and grammar schools of Dundas and at Dr. Tassie 's famous academy at Gait, Ontario.^[2] He was married on 26 Dec 1876, to Catherine F. McClary (1857–1951), daughter of John McClary, the head of the company with which Gartshore worked for many years.^[3] They had one daughter, Edna Teresa (Cleghorn).^[4][5]

He was one of the best known industrial leaders in Canada as Vice-President and General Manager of the McClary Manufacturing Co. of London, Ontario, a pioneer in the manufacture of stoves and furnaces.^[2] In 1873 he joined the staff of the London Car Wheel Company and in 1876 entered the employ of the McClary Manufacturing Company, becoming Vice-President and General Manager in 1890.^[2] He was also for a time a director of Ontario Loan and Debenture Co., London, Ontario.^[2] The McGlary company played a major role in London’s development as a manufacturing centre.^[6]

He had an active interest in military affairs, entering the militia as a volunteer in 1871and holding a first-class cavalry certificate. Gartshore was later an officer in the Queen’s Own Rifles.^[6] During the North West Rebellion of 1885, he served as Junior Major of the 7th Fusiliers (London), for which he earned the campaign medal. He was made major in 1884 and in 1892 became Lieutenant-Colonel in command of 1st Regiment of Cavalry, "Hussars," London, Ontario.^[2]

Gartshore also held many important public offices, including Chairman of the Victoria Hospital Trust; President of the St. John's Ambulance Association, London; and President of the Child Welfare Association, London.^[2] He stood for Mayor of London in 1916 and was elected, until a vote recount indicated a tie, which was broken in his opponent’s favour.^[6] He was a Liberal-Unionist.^[2]

During trips to the United Kingdom, he was presented to Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales in 1886, and in 1905 after he came to the throne.^[2]

He died in 1931 and is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery and Crematorium, London, Ontario.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," William Moir Gartshore, 26 Jul 1931; citing London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, 23857, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Charlesworth, H W, 1919. A cyclopædia of Canadian biography. Toronto : Hunter-Rose Company.
3. ↑ "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," William Moir Gartshore and Catharine Mcclary, 26 Dec 1876; citing registration , Westminster, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto
4. ↑ "Ontario Births, 1869-1912," Edna Teresa Gartshore, 22 Oct 1877; citing Birth, Westminster Twp, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto
5. ↑ "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," Alan Mackenzie Cleghorn and Edna Theresa Gartshore, 03 Sep 1902; citing registration , London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Beechwood (historical plaque no. 6). 80 Ridout Street South, London, Ontario, demolished in 1972 and plaque mounted in the Ivey Family London Room, Central Library, London Public Library, 251 Dundas Street, London, Ontario.
7. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/171730983