Peter McGill
Peter McGill | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Creebridge, Wigtownshire, Scotland |
| Died | September 28, 1860 (aged 71) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1809–1860 |
| Known for | Second mayor of Montreal, president of the Bank of Montreal, founder of Canada's first railway company |
Peter McGill (August 1789 – September 28, 1860) was a Scottish-Canadian entrepreneur who held the position of Montreal's second mayor between 1840 and 1842.
Biography
Originally named Peter McCutcheon, he was born in Creebridge, Wigtownshire (present-day Dumfries and Galloway), Scotland, to parents John McCutcheon and Mary McGill. He emigrated to Montreal in 1809. After the passing of his aunt Mary in 1819, he inherited from his uncle John McGill and adopted the surname McGill in 1821.
McGill served as a member of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada from 1832 to 1837, participated in the Special Council of Lower Canada between 1838 and 1841, and was part of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada from 1841 until his death in 1860.
From 1834 until 1860, he was president of the Bank of Montreal, and he established Canada's inaugural railway company in 1834. It is Peter McGill—rather than James McGill—who is featured in the stained-glass artwork at the Montreal metro's McGill station, which takes its name from nearby McGill University.
Additionally, McGill was the founding president of the St. Andrew's Society of Montreal. In recognition of his legacy, Rue Peter-McGill in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district bears his name.