William Carruthers Little

William Carruthers Little
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Simcoe South
In office
1867–1881
Succeeded byRichard Tyrwhitt
Personal details
Born1820
Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
DiedDecember 31, 1881 (aged 61)
Allandale, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal-Conservative
ChildrenEdward Alfred Little
ResidenceAllandale, Ontario[1]
Occupationfarmer

William Carruthers Little (1820 – December 31, 1881) was an Ontario farmer and political figure. He represented Simcoe South in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal-Conservative from 1867 to 1881.[2]

He was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England in 1820,[2] the son of John Little.[3] He was a land surveyor in Australia and had also been a sailor; he came to Upper Canada in 1837[4] or 1847.[3] He served as a member of the council for Innisfil Township, also served as reeve and was a member of the council for Simcoe County. Little was a major in the local militia and also served as president of the Innisfil Agricultural Society.[3] Little died in office in Allandale at the age of 61.[1]

Little was married twice: to Mary Hamil in 1854 and to Mary Harriet Bennett in 1869.[3] His son Edward represented Cardwell in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Another son, also named William Carruthers Little, was chief clerk in the Department of Railways and Canals and was also captain of the Ottawa Rough Riders.[4]

Little is the great-grandfather of impressionist Rich Little.[5]

  1. ^ a b Johnson, J.K. (1968). The Canadian Directory of Parliament 1867-1967. Public Archives of Canada.
  2. ^ a b William Carruthers Little – Parliament of Canada biography
  3. ^ a b c d The Canadian parliamentary companion and annual register, 1881, CH Mackintosh
  4. ^ a b Historical review, June 23-24, 1951 : a record of 100 years of progress : Innisfil Township centennial, 1850-1950 Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Gilmour, Clyde (15 November 1965). "RICH LITTLE alias just about everybody". Maclean's Magazine. Retrieved 27 July 2020.