William Cameron Edwards

William Cameron Edwards (7 May, 1844 – 17 September, 1921) was a Canadian businessman and parliamentarian.

He was born in Clarence Township in Russell County, Ontario in 1844, received basic schooling in Ottawa and, at a young age, began work in the timber industry at Thurso, Canada East. He founded W.C. Edwards & Company which built large sawmills at Rockland and New Edinburgh. Up until 1920, Edwards' company also operated a sawmill on the Petite-Nation River in Quebec at North Nation Mills, north of Plaisance.

A Liberal, he was five times elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Ontario electoral district of Russell. He was first elected in the Canadian federal election of 1887, and was re-elected in 1888, 1891, 1896 and 1900. On 17 March, 1903 he was appointed to the Canadian Senate upon the recommendation of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He represented the senatorial division of Russell County, Ontario until his death.

At one time, Edwards owned the residence at 24 Sussex Drive, having purchased it from Joseph Merrill Currier in 1902. Edwards was also president of Canada Cement, was a noted livestock breeder and served as president of the Russell Agricultural Society.

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=2131&s=M&s=M Biography from the Library of Parliament]
* [http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/mtq?doc=02221 "The Canadian men and women of the time : a handbook of Canadian biography", HJ Morgan (1898)]