William Colquhoun (December 23, 1814 – September 2, 1898) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Stormont in the 1st Parliament of Ontario.

William Colquhoun
Ontario MPP
In office
1867–1872
Preceded byRiding established
Succeeded byJames Bethune
ConstituencyStormont
Personal details
Born(1814-12-23)December 23, 1814
DiedSeptember 2, 1898(1898-09-02) (aged 83)
Political partyConservative
OccupationBusinessman

He was born in Charlottenburgh, Upper Canada in 1814. He settled at Dickinson's Landing where he was postmaster from 1841 to 1863 and operated a general store. He was the first treasurer for Osnabruck Township and later served as reeve for the township. In 1855, he was elected warden of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. He was re-elected in Stormont in 1871, but his election was overturned on appeal and he lost (but was victorious) the subsequent by-election in 1872.

He moved to Cornwall, Ontario in 1876, where he was mayor from 1881 to 1883 and also served as justice of the peace.

Electoral history

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1867 Ontario general election: Stormont
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Colquhoun 793 55.65
Liberal A.J. Cockburn 632 44.35
Total valid votes 1,425 81.15
Eligible voters 1,756
Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[1]
1871 Ontario general election: Stormont
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Colquhoun 705 50.18
Liberal James Bethune 700 49.82
Turnout 1,405 74.34
Eligible voters 1,890
Election voided
Source: Elections Ontario[2]
Ontario provincial by-election, March 21, 1872: Stormont
Previous election voided
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Bethune 790 51.10 +6.75
Conservative William Colquhoun 756 48.90 −6.75
Total valid votes 1,546 100.0   +8.49
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +6.75
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[3]: 357 
1875 Ontario general election: Stormont
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Bethune 948 53.77 +3.95
Conservative William Colquhoun 815 46.23 −3.95
Total valid votes 1,763 77.19 +2.85
Eligible voters 2,284
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +3.95
Source: Elections Ontario[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  3. ^ Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
  4. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
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