Date Published:
April 2008

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

William Horsley Rowley, J.P.

A former president of the Canadian Manufacturers Association.

Hull, Que., Canada.

WILLIAM HORSLEY ROWLEY, a material factor in the defeat of the "Taft-Fielding" reciprocity compact, was born at Yarmouth, N. S., March 21st, 1851, eldest son of Lt.-Col. John W. H. Rowley and Anne Norman (Farish) Rowley. He is a descendant of the old Shropshire Rowley family. His active commercial life began in 1867 with the Bank of Yarmouth, after which he held clerical positions at St. John, N. B. Joined the Merchants Bank of Canada in 1871, holding positions at their offices at Montreal; Kingston; Windsor and at Ottawa, was manager of the later place for six years. In 1887, he organized the E. B. Eddy Co., of Hull, Quebec, and was its secretary-treasurer until the demise of Mr. Eddy (1906), since then he has been the president of the corporation.

Mr. Rowley has considerable interests all through the Dominion, and is known as one of the real fighters for any and everything that tends to benefit Canada. He has been a member of the executive council of the Canadian Manufacturers Association for many years, was vice-president 1908-1910, and president 1910-1911. He is an Anglican in religion. He is a member of the following clubs: the Denholm Angling; the Country; the Rideau; the Athletic; the Rowing; the Canoe; the Cricket; the Golf, and the Laurentide, all of Ottawa, also the Mount Royal of Montreal, and the Albany; the National and the York of Toronto. Mr. Rowley was first married in 1876, to Grace Richardson (deceased) and second to Elsie Ritchie, daughter of the late Chief Justice, Sir William Ritchie, in 1911.

Source: Canadian History Makers. A Volume Containing Accurate and Concise Sketches of Men who have Done Things in The Dominion of Canada Past and Present Together with Photogravures Made from their Latest Photographs, Montreal, Canadian Publication Society, 1913, 159p., p. 77.