John Carling

Who was John Carling?

Sir John Carling, PC, KCMG of the Carling Brewery was a prominent politician and businessman from London, Ontario, Canada. The Carling family and its descendents later resided in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Brockville, London, Toronto, and Windsor, in Canada, as well as Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

He was the son of farmer Thomas Carling, who immigrated from Etton in Yorkshire, England to Canada in 1818. In 1839, the family moved to London, where Thomas founded the Carling Brewery in 1843, using a recipe from his native Yorkshire. In 1849, the brewery was turned over to John and his brother William.

John’s political career began in municipal government, and in 1858, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. After Confederation in 1867, he represented London in both provincial and federal governments until this was made illegal in 1872. In the 1871 provincial election, he defeated former London mayor Francis Evans Cornish. From 1872 to 1891, he served in the House of Commons as a Conservative Member of Parliament, holding the position as the 7th Postmaster General from 1882 to 1885, and Minister of Agriculture from 1885 to 1891.