Daniel Black Chisholm

Daniel Black Chisholm (November 2, 1842 – January 1, 1899) was a farmer, lawyer and mayor of Hamilton, Ontario from 1871–1872. In the 1872 federal election he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons representing Hamilton as a Liberal-Conservative. He was re-elected in Halton in 1874 but unseated in 1875 after an appeal and defeated in the 1875 by-election which followed.

He was born in East Flamboro Township, Wentworth County, Canada West, the son of George Chisholm. After the death of his parents, Chisholm farmed for a number of years. In 1837, he sold the farm and studied for two years at Victoria College in Cobourg. Chisholm studied law with Miles O'Reilly in Hamilton, was called to the bar in 1864 and set up practice in Hamilton. In 1864, he married Addie Davis; Chisholm and his wife were both involved in the temperance movement in Hamilton. He was president of the Standard Fire Insurance Company, the Alliance Insurance Company and the Canada Loan and Banking Company. Chisholm was also Chairman of the Provincial Board of Directors for the Hamilton and North Western Railway and served as a major in the militia.

In 1883 Chisholm left town suddenly, having suffered a large business loss around $100,000 and used clients money to repay. He and his 15-year-old son fled to Evanton, Illinois, just outside Chicago. His wife was ill at the time and she later came to Chicago and petitioned for a divorce. Eventually she secured a decree of absolute divorce. Although the legality of this divorce under Canadian law was questioned, she remarried in July of 1889, to the Hon. George Eulas Foster, Minister of Finance for Canada.^[1]

References

1. "1871-1872 - Daniel Black Chisolm". Hamilton Public Library. Retrieved 16 June 2012.

• Daniel Black Chisholm – Parliament of Canada biography
• The Canadian biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men (1880)