- Allan MacNab
Infobox President
name = Sir Allan Napier MacNab
caption = The Hon. Allan Napier MacNab
birth_date = birth date|1798|02|19|mf=y
birth_place =Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
death_date = August 8, 1862
death_place =Dundurn Castle
order =Premier of Canada West
term_start = 1855
term_end = 1856
predecessor =Francis Hincks
successor =Sir John Alexander Macdonald
party = Reformer
religion =Presbyterian
profession = businessman, soldier, lawyerSir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet (b. Niagara,
Ontario , 19 February 1798 – d.Dundurn Castle , 8 August 1862) was a Canadian political leader andPremier of the Province of Canada (1854-1856).Allan Napier MacNab was born in Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake), Ontario, Canada, to Allan MacNab, lieutenant in the 71st Regiment and the
Queen's Rangers under Lt-Col.John Graves Simcoe , and Anne, daughter of Capt. Peter William Napier, R.N., the commissioner of the port and harbour of Quebec. After the Queen’s Rangers were disbanded the family moved around the country in search of work and eventually settled in York (Toronto) where MacNab was educated at the Home District Grammar School.As a fourteen year old boy he fought in the
War of 1812 . cite news
last = Dalby
first = Paul
title = MacNab's 'castle' home makes a grand statement
publisher =Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.
page=H06
date =2006-06-29
work = Toronto Star (Canada)
url = http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=6FP0950874946&site=ehost-live
accessdate = 2006-12-19 ]In 1826 he moved from York (Toronto) to
Hamilton, Ontario where he established a successful law office, though it was chiefly through land speculation that he made his fortune. In 1830 he was elected to represent the city in theLegislative Assembly of Upper Canada , a position he held for some 27 years.Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875); Thomas Melville Bailey (W.L. Griffin Ltd), 1981, Page 143]As a member of the legislature he opposed the reform movement in Upper Canada led by
William Lyon Mackenzie . When Mackenzie led theUpper Canada Rebellion in 1837, MacNab was part of the British militia that moved against Mackenzie at Montgomery's Tavern inToronto on December 7, dispersing Mackenzie's rebels in less than an hour.MacNab then led a militia of his own against the rebels marching towards Toronto from London, led by
Charles Duncombe . Duncombe's men also dispersed when they learned MacNab was waiting for them. In 1838 he was knighted for his zeal in suppressing the rebellion. He served in theLegislative Assembly of the Province of Canada , leading the province from 1854 to 1856. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1860 representing Western division and served until his death.A successful entrepreneur as well as politician, MacNab, with Glasgow merchant Peter Buchanan, was responsible for the construction of the Great Western Railway. Fact|date=June 2008
MacNab was married twice, first to Elizabeth Brooke, who died 5 November 1826, possibly of complications following childbirth. Together they had two children. His second marriage to Mary Stuart also ended in tragedy when she died 8 May 1846; they also had two daughters.
His stately 72 room home in Hamilton,
Dundurn Castle , is now open to the public. Hamilton's MacNab Street is named after him. Sir Allan is a direct ancestor of HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.Legacies
MacNab Street and "Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School" in
Hamilton, Ontario were both named after him. cite book|title=Footsteps In Time: Exploring Hamilton's heritage neighbourhoods|first=Bill |last=Manson |publisher=North Shore Publishing Inc|year=2003|id= ISBN 1-896899-22-6]
=References
ources
* Donald R. Beer, "Sir Allan Napier MacNab" (Hamilton, Ontario, 1984)
External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=4565 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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