Malcolm Cameron 1808-1876

A prominent Upper Canadian entrepreneur and politician, Cameron was born in Trois-Rivières. He began his business career in Perth, establishing himself as a general merchant and in 1834 co-founding the Bathurst Courier. In 1837 he moved to Port Sarnia where he developed lumbering, shipping and milling enterprises. Although a successful businessman, Cameron gained renown in politics. He was elected to the legislature as the member for Lanark in 1836 and, representing this, then several western ridings, remained politically active with only occasional interruptions until his death. Pursuing a generally reform-minded, if sometimes erratic course, he served as minister in the moderate administrations of the 1840s and early 1850s. Cameron is best remembered, however, as an early leader in the radical Clear Grit movement.

Entrepreneur et homme politique important du Haut-Canada, Malcolm Cameron nait à Trois-Rivières. Il se lance dans le commerce à Perth et, en 1834, participe à la fondation du « Bathurst Courier. » En 1837, it déménage à Port Sarnia où il crée diverses entreprises dans l’abattage, l’expédition et le sciage du bois. Homme d’affaires prospère, Malcolm Cameron se distingue en politique, il est élu député de Lanark en 1836, et de plusieurs circonscriptions de l’Ouest par la suite. À part quelques interruptions, it reste en politique jusqu’à sa mort. Recherchant la reforme, parfois de façon aléatoire, il exerce en tant que ministre dans les gouvernements modérés des années 1840 et 1850. On se souvient surtout de lui comme de l’un des chefs de file du mouvement radical Clear Grit.