Hamilton Hartley Killaly

Who was Hamilton Hartley Killaly?

Hamilton Hartley Killaly was a civil engineer and political figure in Canada West.

He was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1800, the son of a prominent engineer, and graduated from Trinity College. He served with the Board of Works as consulting engineer. In 1834, with his wife, Killaly came to New York state, later settling in London township in Upper Canada. In 1837, he was involved in a re-survey of the Welland Canal and, in 1838, was appointed engineer for the Welland Canal Company. In 1840, he was appointed chairman of the Board of Works for Lower Canada. In 1841, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for London; in March of that year, he was named to the Executive Council. Later that same year, he was named chairman of the Board of Works for the United Province. Although highly competent as an engineer, Killaly had little patience for cost estimates or financial reporting. In 1843, he resigned from the Executive Council as part of the mass resignation to protest Governor General Metcalfe's failure to consult them on political appointments. Some concerns had been voiced regarding decisions made by the Board of Works and, in 1846, it was replaced by the Department of Public Works headed by William Benjamin Robinson. In 1848, Killaly was named superintendent for the Welland Canal. He was named assistant commissioner of public works in 1851 and served until 1859, when this position was abolished and he became inspector of railways. In 1862, he was part of a royal commission that reported on the state of fortifications and defence in the Canadian colonies. Shortly after that, he retired to Picton, where he lived quietly until his death in 1874.