James Alexander Grant

Who was James Alexander Grant?

Sir James Alexander Grant, KCMG was an Ontario physician and political figure. He represented Russell in the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative Party of Canada member from 1867 to 1874; he also represented the City of Ottawa in the federal parliament from 1893 to 1896.

He was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1829, the son of James Grant and Jane Ord, and came to Canada with his parents in 1830. He studied at the University of Queen's College and then studied medicine at McGill College, becoming an M.D. in 1854. In 1856, he married Maria, the daughter of Edward Malloch. Grant served as president of the College of Surgeons of Ontario and was also president of the Mechanics' Institute and Athenaeum of Ottawa. He published a number of articles in medical journals in England and Canada. Grant served as physician to several Governors General from 1867 to 1905. He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a member of the Geological Society of England. He was named a KCMG in 1887. He died in Ottawa at the age of 88.