Robert Blackburn (politician)

Robert Blackburn
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Russell
In office
1874–1878
Preceded byJames Alexander Grant
Succeeded byJohn O'Connor
Personal details
Born(1828-12-17)December 17, 1828
Glasgow, Scotland
DiedAugust 12, 1894(1894-08-12) (aged 65)
Liverpool, England
Political partyLiberal

Robert Blackburn (December 17, 1828 – August 12, 1894) was a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician. Blackburn served as a village reeve and Member of Parliament.[1]

Blackburn was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1828,[1] the son of Robert Blackburn,[2] and came to Canada in 1842. He became a lumber merchant and partner in woollen mills. He was reeve of Gloucester Township, Ontario in 1864. He was also reeve of New Edinburgh, Ontario from 1868 to 1870 and from 1871 to 1873.[3] In 1864, Blackburn married Mary Ann French.[2] He was Liberal Member of Parliament for Russell from 1874 to 1878.[1] Blackburn also served as a director of the Bank of Ottawa and the Ottawa Agricultural Insurance Company. Along with William Goodhue Perley and others, he helped establish the Ottawa City Passenger Railway Company, a horse-drawn tram service, in 1866.[3] He died in Liverpool, England at the age of 64.[2]

Blackburn Hamlet, Ontario was named after him.

His uncle, James Blackburn, represented the County of Ottawa in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.

1874 Canadian federal election: Russell
Party Candidate Votes
  Liberal Robert Blackburn 1,078
  Conservative James Grant 1,014
  Unknown W. R. Bell 95
Source: Canadian Elections Database[4]
  1. ^ a b c Robert Blackburn – Parliament of Canada biography
  2. ^ a b c Johnson, J.K. (1968). The Canadian Directory of Parliament 1867-1967. Public Archives of Canada.
  3. ^ a b CH Mackintosh, ed. (1877). The Canadian Parliamentary Companion and Annual Register. Ottawa: Citizen Print. and Pub. Company. pp. 117–118.
  4. ^ Sayers, Anthony M. "1874 Federal Election". Canadian Elections Database. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024.