View source for Alexander Ferguson MacLaren

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = 
| name             = Alexander Ferguson MacLaren
| honorific-suffix = 
| image            = Alexander Ferguson Maclaren.jpg
| constituency_MP  = [[Perth North (federal electoral district)|Perth North]]
| parliament       = Canadian
| predecessor      = [[James Nicol Grieve]]
| successor        = [[James Palmer Rankin]]
| term_start       = 1896
| term_end         = 1908
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1854|2|3}}
| birth_place      = Lanark, Canada West
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1917|4|19|1854|2|3}}
| death_place      = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| nationality      = 
| spouse           = 
| party            = [[Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)|Conservative]]
| relations        = 
| children         = 
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       = 
| profession       = 
| religion         = 
}}
'''Alexander Ferguson MacLaren''' (February 3, 1854 &ndash; April 19, 1917) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] manufacturer, exporter and politician.

Born in [[Perth, Ontario|Perth]], [[Lanark County, Ontario|Lanark County]], [[Canada West]], the son of John MacLaren, a native of [[Perthshire]], [[Scotland]], MacLaren moved to [[Cromarty, Ontario|Cromarty]] in [[Perth County, Ontario|Perth County]] with his family while still young. He was employed with a dairyman to learn [[cheese]] making but soon joined [[Thomas Ballantyne (politician)|Thomas Ballantyne]], a major cheese manufacturer and exporter. In 1890, MacLaren established his own cheese exporting business in [[Stratford, Ontario|Stratford]]. He was one of the judges at the 1893 [[World's Fair]] in [[Chicago]] and was the sole judge for the dairy products at the Toronto and Ottawa fairs. He was also President of the Ontario Dairymen's Association. MacLaren's company established offices in [[Toronto]], [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]], [[New York City]], [[London]] (England), [[Mexico]], [[China]], [[Japan]] and [[Africa]]. He was also president of the Imperial Wood Fibre Plaster Company, president of the Imperial Veneer Company and served on the board of directors of a number of other companies. In 1895, he married Janet McLeod.

He was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] for the electoral district of [[Perth North (federal electoral district)|Perth North]] at the [[1896 Canadian federal election|general elections of 1896]]. A [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]], he was re-elected in [[1900 Canadian federal election|1900]] and [[1904 Canadian federal election|1904]]. He was defeated in [[1908 Canadian federal election|1908]]. MacLaren died in [[Toronto]] from [[kidney]] problems.

In 1920, his company was purchased by J. L. [[Kraft Foods|Kraft]] and Brothers Company.

==Electoral record==
{{1896 Canadian federal election/Perth North}}
{{1900 Canadian federal election/Perth North}}
{{1904 Canadian federal election/Perth North}}
{{1908 Canadian federal election/Perth North}}

==References==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=5300}}
* [https://archive.org/details/canadianparliame00montuoft The Canadian Parliament; biographical sketches and photo-engravures of the senators and members of the House of Commons of Canada. Being the tenth Parliament, elected November 3, 1904]
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7557 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110516201032/http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=638719 ''History of the County of Perth from 1825 to 1902'', W Johnston (1903)]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclaren, Alexander}}
[[Category:1854 births]]
[[Category:1917 deaths]]
[[Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]

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