(1814-1892)
Born in Truro, this Father of Confederation was instrumental in the planning of the
Intercolonial Railway survey, and in recruiting the British firm of Peto, Jackson, Brassey
and Betts to bid on the contract to build the railway. That company withdrew from the
project in 1853. A Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1873-1883) and Manitoba
(1870-1872), he became a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1873. |
Photo courtesy of
National Library/
Archives of Canada |
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(1831-1900)
One of Yarmouth’s leading businessmen, Baker made his fortune in the shipping
industry. He was one of the original incorporators of the Western Counties Railway, which
later became part of the Dominion Atlantic Railway, and sold his shipping line to the DAR,
which in turn made it a vital part of the connection to Boston, MA. |
(1847-1937)
A Harvard-educated Halifax lawyer, Borden was born in Grand Pre, N.S. where his father
was the stationmaster. He rose to political prominence with the federal Conservative
party, becoming Prime Minister of Canada in 1911. His proposal to create a second
transcontinental railway from the ruins of previous schemes championed by the government
of Liberal Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, led to the creation of Canadian National
Railways, from an amalgamation of the Intercolonial, the Canadian Northern, Canadian
Government and Grand Trunk Railways in 1918. It was this national railway policy which
helped in his election as prime minister. |
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Photo courtesy of
National Library/
Archives of Canada |
(1861-1944)
Born in Yarmouth, and qualified as a teacher, lawyer and a journalist for the Morning
Herald, Cahan was an MLA for Shelburne at the age of 29. He entered federal politics in
1925 as an MP for Montreal, and was a delegate to the League of Nations in 1932. In
private business he was a financier for extensive tramway operations in South America,
Trinidad and Mexico. |
(1857-1945)
An executive with the Nova Scotia Iron & Steel Co., and with interests in
Guysborough County gold mines, Cantley was a prominent Pictou County Conservative, serving
as the MP for Pictou (1921-1930) and a senator (1935-1945) He was on the first board of
directors of the newly-formed Canadian National Railways in 1921. |
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