Luther Hamilton Holton

Luther Hamilton Holton (January 22, 1817 – March 14, 1880) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He represented Châteauguay as a Liberal member in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1880. He became Minister of Finance, Governor of McGill University, board member of the Montreal Board of Trade, and an early developer of the railroads in Canada. Early life and education He was born at Sheffield's Corners in Leeds County, Upper Canada in 1817 and went to Montreal to live with his uncle after his father's death in 1826. At the age of 12, after completing his schooling, he became a clerk in his uncle's business. Seven years later, he joined the firm of Henderson and Hooker, who were involved in transporting goods and passengers along the St. Lawrence and lower Great Lakes; in 1845, he became a senior partner in the firm, now Hooker and Holton, on Henderson's death. In 1842, he helped found the Unitarian Society of Montreal. In 1846, he was elected to the Montreal Board of Trade. He supported reciprocity in trade with the United States and, for a time, he supported annexation. During the 1850s, he became involved in railway development and played an important role in the development of the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada. For a time, he was a director for the Grand Trunk and, in 1853, formed a firm with Alexander Tilloch Galt and others which was contracted to extend their tracks from Toronto to Sarnia. Both Holton and Galt were heavily criticized for taking advantage of their government connections to win the contract and gain government subsidies.