William Rhodes

Who was William Rhodes?

William Rhodes was a soldier, farmer and political figure in Quebec. He represented Mégantic in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1858 as a Reformer and in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1888 to 1890 as a Liberal.

He was born at Bramhope Hall in Yorkshire, England, the son of William Rhodes and Ann Smith. Rhodes entered the British Army in 1838 and served in Canada East from 1842 to 1844. In 1847, he retired from the army as a captain and settled near Sillery, Canada East. In the same year, he married Anne Catherine Dunn, who was the granddaughter of Thomas Dunn and Mathew Bell. Rhodes was one of the founders of the Union Bank of Lower Canada. He was president of the Quebec Bridge Company, the North Shore Railway, the Quebec and Trois-Pistoles Railway and the Quebec and Richmond Railway. Rhodes was also president of the Quebec Geographical Society, a justice of the peace and a lieutenant in the militia. He served in the Quebec cabinet as Commissioner of Agriculture and Colonization. Rhodes was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1890. He died at home in Sillery at the age of 70.