Thomas Birkett
Thomas Birkett | |
|---|---|
 Thomas Birkett Source: Library and Archives Canada | |
| 19th Mayor of Ottawa | |
| In office 1891–1891 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob Erratt |
| Succeeded by | Olivier Durocher |
| House of Commons of Canada representing Ottawa City | |
| In office 1900–1904 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 1, 1844 Bytown, Canada West |
| Died | December 2, 1920 (aged 76) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Spouse(s) | 1871 Mary Gallagher; 1904 Henrietta Gallagher |
Thomas Birkett (February 1, 1844 – December 2, 1920) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1891[1] and a member of the House of Commons of Canada representing Ottawa City from 1900 to 1904.[2]
Birkett was born in Bytown (today known as Ottawa), Canada West in 1844,[2] the son of Miles Birkett and Elizabeth Wren, who came from England. At the age of 13, he became an apprentice to a local hardware store owner. In 1866, he opened his own hardware store. Birkett served on the school board from 1867 to 1871 and was an alderman on Ottawa City Council from 1873 to 1878.[3] During his term as mayor, electric streetcars were introduced in Ottawa.[1] In 1871, he married Mary Gallagher;[3] after her death, he married Henrietta Gallagher, her stepsister, in 1904.[4] In December 1888, Birkett's niece, Mattie Birkett, married Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the future first premier of Alberta.[5] Birkett also served as president of the advisory board of the Dominion Building and Loan Association at Ottawa. He was also a long-time member of the Masonic Order.[3] In 1900, he was named a trustee for the Ottawa Collegiate Institute.[4] He died in Ottawa of pneumonia in 1920.[1] He is buried at Beechwood Cemetery.
His former home, nicknamed Birkett's Castle, is now used as the Hungarian Embassy.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Mullington, Dave (2005). Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948). Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House. pp. 77–79. ISBN 978-1-8971-1317-2.
- ^ a b Thomas Birkett – Parliament of Canada biography
- ^ a b c Adam, G. Mercer, ed. (1892). Prominent Men of Canada. Toronto: Canadian Biographical Publishing Co. pp. 180–182.
- ^ a b Charlesworth, Hector Willoughby, ed. (1919). A Cyclopædia of Canadian biography. Toronto: Hunter-Rose Company. OCLC 1042901332. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ Babcock, Douglas (1989). Alexander Cameron Rutherford: A Gentleman of Strathcona. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary Press. p. 4. ISBN 0919813577.
| Bytown (1847–55) | |
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| Ottawa (1855–2001) |
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| Ottawa (2001 amalgamation – present) | |
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