- James Durand
James Durand (
1775 -March 22 1833 ) was a businessman and political figure inUpper Canada .He was born in
Abergavenny ,Wales in 1775 and came to Upper Canada in 1802 to deal with delinquent accounts on behalf of a group ofLondon merchants. Having seized the Bridgewater Works at Chippawa, Durand purchased the operation from his employers. He also established a trading depot nearLong Point . In 1810, he sold the operation at Chippawa due to a downturn in the produce market. He served in the "Lincoln militia" during theWar of 1812 . In 1815, he became the representative for West York in the6th Parliament of Upper Canada in a by-election afterAbraham Markle joined the Americans. Durand criticized the introduction ofmartial law during the war. WithJohn Willson , he drafted the "Common Schools Act of 1816", which introduced public support ofelementary school s. He also helped establish the Gore District with Hamilton as the district town. In 1817, he was elected in the riding of Wentworth and served until 1820. He was a partner in the Desjardins Canal Company, expanded his land holdings and built sawmills to process his timber holdings.He died in
Hamilton, Ontario in 1833.Tribute
"Durand Park" in Hamilton was named after him. His son, James, later also became a member of the Legislative Assembly. cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1981] The Durand neighbourhood in Hamilton was also named after him. It is bounded by Main Street West (north), Queen Street South (west), James Street South (east) and the
Niagara Escarpment (south). Landmarks in this neighbourhood include the Hamilton City Hall, Canadian Football Hall of Fame Museum, "Whitehern Museum", "James Street South shopping district" and Durand Park, also named after him. cite journal| title = Experience Hamilton: Tourist Guide 2006/2007| journal = Tourism Hamilton| pages = 34–35| date = Winter 2006]References
* MapArt
Golden Horseshoe Atlas - Page 647 - Grids H11, H12External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2854 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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