View source for History of Hamilton, Ontario

{{Short description|None}}
[[File:Hamilton.County Wentworth.1859.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Hamilton in 1859.]]

Prior to colonization, Hamilton was occupied by the [[Chonnonton]], or Attiwandaronk, an Iroquois-speaking nation referred to by French explorers as the "Neutral" people.<ref>[http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/neutral/ Nobel, William, "The Neutral" Historica Canada, Last Edited December 16, 2013]</ref>  Since then, there have been successive waves of immigration.

[[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], from the point at which it was first [[Colonization of Canada|colonized by settlers]], has benefited from its geographical proximity to major land and water [[transportation]] routes along the [[Niagara Peninsula]] and [[Lake Ontario]]. Its strategic importance has created a rich [[military history]] which the city preserves.

Tension between maximizing economic growth and minimizing environmental damage was evident, even from the city's early development. The area between [[Burlington Bay]] (also known as Hamilton Harbour) and the [[Niagara Escarpment]] has been greatly altered for residential, industrial and recreational purposes. [[Cootes Paradise]] in [[Dundas, Ontario|Dundas]] also known as the Dundas Marsh, was a very rich wetland with plenty of [[fish]], [[birds]] and other game. Cootes Paradise was named after Captain Thomas Coote,<ref>{{cite web|last=Henley|first=Brian|title=Historic charm enhances Hamilton's revamped cityscape (921 words)|url=http://www.tourismhamilton.com/media/fit-for-print-stories/historic-charm-enhances|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204204633/http://www.tourismhamilton.com/media/fit-for-print-stories/historic-charm-enhances|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2013|work=tourism hamilton|access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref>  a British army officer of Irish extraction who was stationed in the area at the time of the American revolutionary war in the 18th century. The richness of the valley led to population, and to degradation of the marsh, although its legal protection, starting in the 1880s, and the efforts of civic officials and others, have led to it still being of great environmental importance in the 21st century.

For about a century after achieving its status as a city in 1846, Hamilton has seen itself in terms of industrial production. It adopted or acquired such nicknames as the ''Ambitious City'', ''Steel City'' and the [[Birmingham]] of Canada. However, after this period, other sectors of the [[economy]] took over and Hamilton became a [[post-industrial economy]] but failed to change its image and self-image to match. Here then follows the growth of the Hamilton until the end of the [[Second World War]].

==Pre-1811==
[[File:United Empire Loyalist Statue in Hamilton, Ontario.jpg|thumb|Statue commemorating the [[United Empire Loyalists]] in Downtown Hamilton. Loyalists fleeing from the [[American Revolutionary War]] were the first Europeans to settle the area.]]
Like most of the [[Americas]], the original inhabitants of the Hamilton area were Native North American Aboriginal peoples. The first European to visit what is now Hamilton was probably [[Étienne Brûlé]] in 1616. [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle|Lasalle]] also visited the area, a fact commemorated at a park in nearby [[Burlington, Ontario|Burlington]].<ref name=BRULE2>{{cite DCB |title=Brûlé, Étienne |first=Olga |last=Jurgens |volume=1 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/brule_etienne_1E.html}}</ref>

In pre-colonial times, the [[Neutral Nation]] occupied most of the land but were gradually driven out by the [[Iroquois]] who were allied with [[British people|British]] against the [[French people|French]] and their [[Wyandot people|Huron]] allies. A member of the Iroquois Confederacy provided both the route and name for [[Mohawk nation|Mohawk Road]] on [[Hamilton Mountain]] and the route for what would become [[King Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|King Street]] in the Lower City.

Like [[British North America]] itself, the Six Nations confederacy was torn apart by the [[American Revolution]]. Indigenous groups loyal to [[the Crown]], under their leader Captain [[Joseph Brant]], were settled in several nearby areas of what became [[Upper Canada]] in 1791 and ultimately [[Ontario]] in 1867. These included Brant’s Ford (now [[Brantford]]) on the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] in [[Brant County, Ontario|Brant County]] south of Hamilton, and Brant’s Block (now [[Burlington, Ontario|Burlington]]) in Halton County north of Hamilton.<ref name=HAMBIO1>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1981}}</ref>

The [[United Empire Loyalists]] moved into the Hamilton area during and after the American War of Independence as well, dramatically boosting the population and economic development of the region between the original Upper Canadian capital at Newark (now [[Niagara-on-the-Lake]]) and the new one at York (now [[Toronto]]).<ref name=LOYALISTS>{{cite web| title =United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada| url=http://www.uelac.org/
| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref> This was to prove crucial, for the fighting between the United States and Britain was not yet over.

Administratively, the whole area was part of the [[Nassau District]], which was renamed the Home District in 1792. Additionally, parts of the area were separately incorporated into the West Riding of [[York County, Ontario|York County]] and First Riding of [[Lincoln County, Ontario|Lincoln County]].  In 1798, most of the future Hamilton became part of Niagara District while remaining in Lincoln County.<ref name=barton2>{{cite web| title =A History of the city of Hamilton| url=http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/cultural_landmarks/hamhist.htm| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>

==1812–1844==
The town of Hamilton was conceived by [[George Hamilton (1788–1836)|George Hamilton]] when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the [[War of 1812]].<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>  Nathaniel Hughson, a property owner to the north, cooperated with George Hamilton to prepare a proposal for a courthouse and jail on Hamilton's property.  Hamilton offered the land to the crown for the future site. [[James Durand]], the local Member of the British Legislative Assembly, was empowered by Hughson and Hamilton to sell property holdings which later became the site of the town. As he had been instructed, Durand circulated the offers at York during a session of the Legislative Assembly and a new [[Gore District, Upper Canada|Gore District]] was established of which the Hamilton town site was a member.  As such, Hamilton's future seemed to be shaped by a private collaboration of Hamilton, Hughson and Durand.<ref name="WEAVER1985">{{cite book |pages=15–16|last= Weaver |first= John C. |title= Hamilton: an illustrated history |publisher= James Lorimer & Company, Publishers |year= 1985 |isbn= 0-88862-593-6}}</ref><!-- This citation applies to the paragraph in entirety -->

Initially the Town of Hamilton was not the dominant center of the [[Gore District, Upper Canada|Gore District]].  A permanent jail was not constructed until 1832 when a cut-stone design was completed on one of the two squares created in 1816, Prince's Square.<ref name="WEAVER1985"/>  Subsequently, the first police board and the town limits were defined by statute on February 13 of 1833.<ref>Statutes of Upper Canada, 1833 3° William IV pg. 58-68.  Chapter XVII An act to define the Limits of the Town of Hamilton, in the District of Gore, and to establish a Police and Publice Market therein.</ref>

After simmering treaty and border disputes finally erupted into the [[War of 1812]], the Hamilton area again became a strategic area. In 1813, the British regulars and Canadian militia defeated invading American troops at the [[Battle of Stoney Creek]] which was fought in what is now a park in [[Stoney Creek, Ontario|eastern Hamilton]]. Burlington Heights, adjacent to the grounds of present-day Dundurn Park and Castle, was also a site commanding the entry to [[Burlington Bay]].<ref name=stoneycreek>{{cite web| title =Battlefield House Museum Battle of Stoney Creek 1813| url =http://www.battlefieldhouse.ca/billy_battle.asp| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060828015546/http://www.battlefieldhouse.ca/billy_battle.asp| url-status =dead| archive-date =August 28, 2006| access-date =2008-01-24}}</ref>

[[George Hamilton (1788–1836)|George Hamilton]], a settler and local [[politician]], established a town site in the northern portion ''Barton Township'' after the war in 1815. He kept several east–west roads which were originally Indian trails, but the north–south streets were on a regular grid pattern. Streets were designated "East" or "West" if they crossed [[James Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|James Street]] or King’s Highway No. 6. Streets were designated "North" or "South" if they crossed [[King Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|King Street]] or King’s Highway No. 8.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/><!-- This citation applies to the paragraph in entirety -->

Gore Park, whose western boundary is ''King'' and [[James Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|James Streets]], formed the public square for the new settlement and has remained the centre of the city ever since. The original plot of land set aside for the [[courthouse]] has had four different buildings erected on it. It was only supplanted as the court site by a move across the street in the 1990s as part of an architectural preservation project for the Post Office and [[Dominion Public Building (Hamilton)|Dominion Public Building]].

Gore District of [[Upper Canada]] and [[Wentworth County, Ontario|Wentworth County]] were created in 1816, with Mr. Hamilton’s settlement as the seat for both. The county’s original constituent townships included the following, the territory of which became part of the amalgamated Hamilton in 2001: [[Ancaster, Ontario|Ancaster]] (later a town), Barton, Binbrook (later one half of [[Glanbrook]]), Glanford (later the other half of Glanbrook) and Saltfleet (later the town and city of Stoney Creek). Seneca and Brant Townships were also original constituents of the county but later became part of Haldimand County and [[Brant County, Ontario|Brant County]], respectively.

During the first half of the 19th century, Mr. Hamilton’s settlement in Barton Township steadily increased status at the expense of [[Dundas, Ontario|Dundas]]. Growth was aided in 1810 by a channel cut to link [[Burlington Bay]] directly with [[Lake Ontario]], thus improving its marine transportation. George Hamilton’s settlement was incorporated as a [[police]] village in 1833. In comparison, the [[Desjardins Canal]] to Dundas was at best an incomplete success. The physical structures, with living interpreters, of these pioneer days are preserved at Westfield Heritage Centre.
[[File:Gore Park and King Street, looking west. (ca. 1870) (14074028258).jpg|thumb|Gore Park in 1870. The park was a public square for the settlement, and remains the centre of the city.]]
As [[Rail transport|railway]] fever raced across [[North America]], Hamilton prematurely got in the act with the promotion of various paper lines in the 1830s. This included [[Allan MacNab|Allan Napier MacNab]]’s Hamilton and [[Port Dover]] Railway which, although chartered in 1835, did not actually lay any track until the mid-1850s under a different corporate name. MacNab completed [[Dundurn Castle]], his stately home, in 1835. A boy soldier in the [[War of 1812]], he led Gore militia to crush insurgents in the [[Upper Canada Rebellion|Rebellion of 1837]] for which he was knighted the following year.

==1845–1866==
Official City status was achieved on June 9, 1846.<ref name=1846est>Provincial Statutes of Canada 1846 9° vict. pg 981 Chapter LXXIII.  An Act to amend the Act incorporating the Town of Hamilton, and to erect the same into a City.</ref>

As a result of municipal reorganization of Wentworth County, Caistor Township (earlier and later part of West Lincoln) was briefly added in 1845. Hamilton received its city charter in 1846. Seneca, Onondaga and Caistor Townships were removed from the administration of county and replaced with three others from [[Halton County, Ontario|Halton County]]: Beverly, East Flamborough and West Flamborough (which were amalgamated as the [[Flamborough, Ontario|Town of Flamborough]] 1974-2000).

Hamilton City Council was based on a ''board of control'', which effectively meant an executive committee of at-large city councillors controlled the city government. Mayors were short-term figureheads who changed mostly on practically an annual basis. The same year Hamilton became a city, Robert Smiley and a partner began publishing ‘’The Hamilton Spectator and Journal of Commerce".
[[Image:Niagara Escarpment map.png|thumb|left|Map with the Niagara Escarpment in red. Easy access to limestone from the escarpment helped propel Hamilton into an important iron and steel producing city.]]
As MacNab completed his two years as the premier of the united [[Province of Canada]], the newly renamed [[Great Western Railway (Ontario)|Great Western Railway]] became Hamilton’s first functioning railway in 1854. Completion of this railway and the Niagara Suspension Bridge transformed Hamilton into a major centre and part of the American [[immigration]] route from [[New York City]] or [[Boston]] to [[Chicago]] or [[Milwaukee]].<ref name="HAMBIO1"/> Over two hundred miles of distance was saved travelling through what was then called CANADA WEST. However, because of the different gauge or width between the American and Canadian tracks, passengers had to switch trains at both Niagara Falls, then known as Clifton, as well as at Detroit.  The GWR’s maintenance and marshalling yards were located in Hamilton, and the city got its first taste of the steel industry as it re-rolled rails imported from [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. Unfortunately, in 1857, 57 passengers were killed when a [[train]] derailed near the [[Desjardins Canal]].

Not content with this relatively minor operation, dozens of small workshops and craftsmen banded together to smelt [[steel]] rather than just mill steel. Easy access to [[limestone]] from the [[Niagara Escarpment]], [[coal]] mined in [[Appalachia]], [[iron ore]] mined from the [[Canadian Shield]] and export markets through the [[Great Lakes]]-[[St. Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]] system made Hamilton an important [[iron]] and [[steel]] producing city.

Other industrial ventures conducted in the Ambitious City (a phrase adopted by ‘’The Spectator" from detractors in [[Toronto]]) and Birmingham of Canada included manufactured [[tobacco]], [[beer]] and other consumer products. It also became a centre for the [[textile industry]], which did not die out completely until the 1950s.

Long before the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] was established in 1876, there were proposals for military colleges in Canada. Staffed by British Regulars, adult male students underwent a 3-month-long military course from 1865 at the School of Military Instruction in Hamilton. Established by Militia General Order in 1865, the school enabled Officers of Militia or Candidates for Commission or promotion in the Militia to learn Military duties, drill and discipline, to command a Company at Battalion Drill, to Drill a Company at Company Drill, the internal economy of a Company and the duties of a Company's Officer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~theislands/photos6/ansonkeillmilcert.jpg |title=Anson Keill's Second class certificate from the School of Military Instruction, Kingston |access-date=2016-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407162844/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~theislands/photos6/ansonkeillmilcert.jpg |archive-date=2016-04-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The school was not retained at Confederation, in 1867.<ref>Richard Preston 'Canada's RMC: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada' published by the RMC Club by U of Toronto Press.</ref>

==1867–1892==
[[File:Orange Parade in Gore Park, 1870s. (14001002628).jpg|thumb|The [[Orange Order]] in Gore Park in the 1870s. The Order, made up largely of [[Northern Irish]] [[Protestant]]s, grew in popularity with large scale immigration from the [[British Isles]].]]
When the [[Canada|Dominion of Canada]] was created in 1867, Hamilton was an enthusiastic partner in the bold new political enterprise and preached the joys of the [[British Empire]]. The city was represented in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] by one seat for the city proper and two for the remainder of the county (Wentworth South and Wentworth North).

Growing commercial and industrial prosperity prompted large scale emigration from the [[British Isles]]. Many [[Ireland|Irish]] immigrants created a Corktown in the general vicinity of [[John Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|John]] and [[Hunter Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|Hunter Streets]]. Patriotic Britons and native born Canadians of British stock erected many public monuments downtown to honour [[John A. Macdonald]], [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and the [[United Empire Loyalists]]. More people meant more demand for services and information. In 1874, the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) began offering horse-drawn [[public transit|public transportation]].<ref name=HSRhistory>{{cite web|url=http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/alltime/hamilton-on.html |title=Transit History in Hamilton, Ontario |access-date=2008-01-24}}</ref><ref name=HSRhistory2>{{cite web|url= http://ca.geocities.com/hamiltontransithistory@rogers.com/|title= Hamilton Transit History|access-date=2008-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026234117/http://ca.geocities.com/hamiltontransithistory@rogers.com/|url-status= dead|archive-date=2009-10-26}}</ref>
[[File:Dr Bell and party at the home of the telephone (HS85-10-17080).jpg|thumb|1906 photo of [[Alexander Graham Bell]] at his [[Bell Homestead National Historic Site|home]] in nearby [[Brantford]]. Hamilton was home to the [[British Empire]]'s first telephone exchange.]]
Robert Smiley, the founding publisher of ''The Spectator'', sold the newspaper to [[William Southam]] in 1877 as the first link in the [[Southam Newspapers|Southam]] newspaper chain. A unified and paid Hamilton Fire Department, replaced the numerous volunteer fire companies in 1879, led by fire chief [[Alexander Aitchison]].

The Hamilton area was also intimately connected with the early history of the [[telephone]]. While staying at his parents’ [[Brantford]] home in neighbouring [[Brant County, Ontario|Brant County]], [[Alexander Graham Bell]] conceived of the idea of the telephone in 1874 and made the first experimental long-distance call to [[Paris, Ontario]] in 1876. The following year, retired [[Baptist]] minister Thomas Peter Henderson become the first [[General Agent]] for the telephone business in Canada. In 1878, the first telephone exchange in the [[British Empire]] was opened in Hamilton by [[Hugh Cossart Baker, Jr.]]<ref name="HAM100-p6">{{cite book|title=The Hamiltonians, 100 Fascinating Lives |url=https://archive.org/details/hamiltonians100f0000houg |url-access=registration |first=Margaret |last=Houghton |publisher=James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers Toronto|page=[https://archive.org/details/hamiltonians100f0000houg/page/6 6]|year=2003|isbn= 1-55028-804-0}}</ref> On May 15, 1879, ''Hugh Cossart Baker Jr.'' makes Hamilton the site of the first commercial long-distance telephone line in the [[British Empire]].<ref name=HAM100>{{cite book|title=The Hamiltonians, 100 Fascinating Lives |url=https://archive.org/details/hamiltonians100f0000houg |url-access=registration |first=Margaret |last=Houghton |publisher=James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers Toronto|year=2003|isbn= 1-55028-804-0}}</ref>

More workers and new immigrants encouraged a nascent [[trade unions|trade union]] movement among skilled craftsmen. Hamilton [[Trade union|unionists]] and other working-class people gave birth in 1872 the [[Nine Hour Movement]], urging the government to limit working hours to nine per day.<ref name=HISINDI>{{cite web|title=History of Industry in Hamilton, Ontario |url=http://collections.ic.gc.ca/industrial/intro.htm |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206234910/http://collections.ic.gc.ca/industrial/intro.htm |archive-date=2006-02-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A more modest but still unstable railway boom marked the last part of the 19th century too. The [[Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway]] was incorporated in 1884, and by 1892 offered limited cargo service and ultimately passenger service.<ref name=THBHIST>{{cite web|url=http://www.thbrailway.ca/|title=Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Historical Society|access-date=2008-01-24}}</ref> Electrical railways which sporadically linked Hamilton with [[Grimsby, Ontario|Grimsby]], [[Beamsville]], [[Brantford]] and [[Oakville, Ontario|Oakville]] were established the following decade.

==1893–1905==
Modernization and business consolidation often went hand in hand with [[trade unions|unionization]]. The [[Hamilton Street Railway|HSR]] converted to electrically powered [[vehicles]] in 1892. In keeping with the area’s reputation, the [[firefighters]] unionized in 1896.
As it was absorbed by ''Hamilton Electric Light and Power Company'' in 1899, HSR workers joined Division (now Local) 107 of the predecessor of the current [[Amalgamated Transit Union]].
[[File:Hamilton streetcar funicular -e.jpg|thumb|[[Hamilton Street Railway]] (HSR) streetcar in 1909. The HSR transitioned from [[horse-drawn]] [[public transit]] to electrical-powered vehicles in 1892.]]
But it was definitely not all work and no play for local residents. In 1894, [[Hamilton Herald]] newspaper and cigar store owner Billy Carroll established the [[Around the Bay Road Race]]. The route circumnavigates [[Burlington Bay]] and, although it is not a proper [[marathon (sport)|marathon]], it is the longest continuously held long distance foot race in North America. It was won by such sporting greats as [[William Sherring|William "Billy" Sherring]], [[Tom Longboat]] and [[Sam Mellor]].

[[Adelaide Hoodless]] and other founded the first Women’s Institute in Saltfleet Township (Stoney Creek) in 1897 and began her educational campaign for [[home economics]]. A year after she died in 1910, one of Hamilton’s many new schools was named in her honour.<ref name=HAMBIO2>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol II, 1876-1924)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1991}}</ref>

Hamiltonians, like other residents of the colonies, discovered one of the darker sides of British Imperialism when the [[South African War]] broke out in 1899. Men from Wentworth County and other Canadians volunteered to serve in the [[The Royal Canadian Dragoons|Canadian Mounted Rifles]] or [[North-West Mounted Police]] contingents. Although they excelled at the bitter [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla war]] there against the [[Boers]], its conclusion in 1902 served as an omen for the [[future]].

Ernest D’Israeli Smith, after being frustrated by paying to have his fruit transported from the Stoney Creek area, had founded a company in 1882 to market directly to wholesalers and eliminate the middleman. [[E. D. Smith|Smith & Sons Ltd.]] continues operating today, and has since the early 20th century has sold manufactured preserves and jams. Its namesake founder served as the Conservative MP for Wentworth around the start of the 20th century.

By the end of the 19th century, symbolically marked by the death of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] in the first days of the 20th century, Hamilton expanded to the approximate limits of the Mountain Brow to the south, Chedoke Creek to the west and [[Gage Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario)|Gage Avenue]] to the east.

Through natural increase and immigration, the urban Hamilton-rural Wentworth population balance shifted so much that in 1904 the federal ridings were redistributed. While the total number of MPs remained the same, two were now from the city proper (Hamilton East and Hamilton West) and one represented the rest of the county.

==1906–1918==
Hamilton had a momentous year in 1906: local boy [[William Sherring|Billy Sherring]] won an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] gold medal at [[Athens, Greece|Athens]] for the [[marathon (sport)|marathon]].<ref name="HAMBIO2"/> The Amalgamated Transit Union struck against the HSR in a bitter labour dispute. The working class voters of Hamilton East, sympathetic to the ATU, elected [[Allan Studholme]] as their Member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]].  For years he stood as the lone labour representative in the legislature, championing the [[eight-hour day]], [[workers compensation|workmen's compensation]], the [[minimum wage]] and [[women's suffrage]].

[[Image:Hamilton Ontario Plant c1907 LOC 6a23357u.jpg|300px|left|thumb|[[International Harvester Company]] buildings by the waterfront, taken in 1907. The beginning of the 20th century saw continued growth for industries in Hamilton.]]

The steel industry continued to grow and finally consolidate through this period, some combining to form the [[Stelco|Steel Company of Canada]] in 1910 and others the [[Dofasco|Dominion Steel Casting Company]] in 1912. Stelco and Dofasco, as they became colloquially and then legally known, were located in the north end to take advantage of the transportation and cooling opportunities provided by access to the water.<ref name=HISINDI/>  Industrial waste from the industries along the waterfront led to Hamilton Harbour becoming heavily polluted with industrial waste.<ref name="weinberg">{{cite journal|last1=Weinberg|first1=Paul|title=Beautiful Cities|journal=Canada's History|date=Dec 2017|volume=97|issue=6|pages=30–37|issn=1920-9894}}</ref>

[[File:Hamilton interurban terminal yard 1920s.jpg|thumb|The yard at the [[Hamilton Terminal Station]] as seen in the early 1920s, during the station's heyday.]]

Hamilton's radial railway system became increasing unified. In 1907–8, the interurban railways' parent company reorganized and renamed itself to the [[Dominion Power and Transmission Company]], opening a new main station downtown at the same time: the [[Hamilton Terminal Station]]. Passenger services were reorganized so that the different lines would meet there, while the older stations were largely relegated to freight service.<ref name=trainweb-hts>{{cite web |url=http://www.trainweb.org/hamtransithist/HamiltonTerminalStation.html |title=The Hamilton Terminal Station |date=1 April 2019 |access-date=20 January 2021 |first=Tom |last=Luton |website=Trainweb.org}}</ref> Cars were increasingly operated on each other's lines, allowing single-seat trips such as from Oakville to Brantford without the need for a transfer.

The infant science of [[aviation]] found early and enthusiastic supporters in Hamilton. Jack Elliot established an airport in the north end near Stelco which in 1911 hosted the first Canadian Air Meet. Pioneering aviator [[J.A.D. McCurdy]] won that contest, sponsored in part by the newly minted Hamilton Automobile Club (now [[CAA South Central Ontario]]).

Emigration continued from Britain and the [[United States]] (chiefly [[African Americans|blacks]]) during this period as local museums show, but also began from other countries such as [[Italy]] and [[Austria-Hungary]]. Remarkably, thousands of [[Italian people|Italian]] Hamiltonians are descendants of emigrants in this period from a single [[Sicily|Sicilian]] town, commemorated by the dual naming of ''Murray Street'' as Corso Raculmuto.

Increased population and prosperity prompted a building boom. As a publicity stunt and raffle, workers and contractors built a [[house]] in a day in 1913 which was later featured in a ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]]'' cartoon. The same year, the [[Hamilton Library (Ontario)|Hamilton Public Library]] opened its new building funded by philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]]. (The site was renovated and now houses the Family Court.)

Hamiltonians participated in the [[World War I|First World War]] as combatants, but due to [[Sam Hughes|Col. Sir Sam Hughes]]' mobilization plans for the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]], there were no major battles associated purely with Hamiltonians. The [[Royal Hamilton Light Infantry]] later perpetuated the battle honours of four of these consecutively numbered Overseas Battalions of the CEF.

Heavy industry boomed as the Canadian and British governments' war driven demands for steel, arms, munitions and textiles increased. Unfortunately, in their quest to expand, the twin steel giants damaged the land by infilling Hamilton Harbour and burying or diverting many creeks which formerly flowed into the bay. War profiteering by manufacturers dampened some of the mood, but generally Hamiltonians pulled together.
{{wide image|36th Battalion, Hamilton, Ontario (HS85-10-30561) original.tif|900px|The [[36th Battalion, CEF|36th Battalion]] of Hamilton, Ontario, taken in 1915. Hamiltonians participated in [[World War I]] as members of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]].}}

==1919–1938==
The [[United Farmers of Ontario]] won the most seats in the [[1919 Ontario general election|1919 provincial election]] and formed a [[coalition government]] with the [[Labour Party of Canada|Independent Labour Party]]. [[Walter Rollo]], Member of the Legislative Assembly for Hamilton West, became the first Ontario Minister of Labour in this government.

The Hamilton Board of Education resumed its ambitious building program for schools. Their names often honoured the memory of war [[veterans]]: Memorial School, [[Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Allenby School]] and [[Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum|Earl Kitchener School]]. The educational building boom was coupled with a residential housing boom in which hundreds of low-rise apartment buildings, of three to four stories and six to ten units, grew up across the city, especially in the east end.
[[File:Alma mater - recent grad.jpg|thumb|University Hall of [[McMaster University]] in 2017. The university moved to Hamilton in 1930.]]
Higher education—disregarding its [[normal school]] or teachers college—arrived in Hamilton in 1930. [[McMaster University]] was founded in [[Toronto]] as a Baptist institution of higher learning. Funded by a bequest of Senator [[William McMaster]] in 1887, it was in danger of becoming absorbed by the [[University of Toronto]]. Hamilton’s municipal government, civic boosters and ordinary residents lured the university to the city with grants of land and money in 1930.<ref name=HAMBIO3>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol III, 1925-1939)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|year=1992}}</ref> Not only did McMaster preserve its independence, but it began publishing ''The Silhouette'' student newspaper, now an award-winning weekly broadsheet.

Local boosters also ensured that Hamilton hosted the inaugural Empire Games, now known as the [[Commonwealth Games]] in 1930. Amateur athletes from around the British Empire and Commonwealth gathered to compete at Hamilton Civic Stadium, the current site of [[Ivor Wynne Stadium]] as a result of the efforts of [[Melville Marks Robinson]].<ref name=memproj56>{{cite press release| title = Tigertown Triumphs| publisher =The Hamilton Spectator-Memory Project (Souvenir Edition)|page= MP56| date =2006-06-10}}</ref>

The [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s hit Hamilton hard. The simultaneous and prolonged decline in domestic consumption and [[international trade]] in finished industrial goods and building supplies put a stop to residential and institutional construction for a decade. It was in this context of privation that Dr. [[Elizabeth Bagshaw]] started her illegal [[birth control clinic]] in 1931.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>

Emotional relief from the [[Great Depression|Depression]] was found in the Washingtons, local brothers who performed as a [[blues]] [[quartet]] throughout Ontario.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Jackie Washington |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=4 February 2014 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jackie-washington-emc}}</ref> Practical relief was found in government works projects designed to prime the [[economy]] and which added to the long-term attractiveness of Hamilton.

[[Thomas McQuesten|Thomas B. McQuesten]], a Hamilton lawyer, alderman, and [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario|MLA]], served as minister of transportation and chairman [[Niagara Parks Commission]] from 1934 to 1943. He spearheaded the construction of the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]], a controlled access highway which links [[Fort Erie]] with [[Toronto]] via Hamilton, and the Mountain access for [[Highway 20 (Hamilton, Ontario)|Highway 20]] in Stoney Creek. He founded [[Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario|Royal Botanical Gardens]], seeing the institution through from an early concept in the 1920s to incorporation and staffing in the 1940s. [[Whitehern]], his downtown family home, now serves as a civic museum.<ref name="MCQUESTEN">{{cite book|title=Thomas Baker McQuesten: Public Works, Politics and Imagination|first=John |last=Best|publisher=Corinth Press|year=1991}}</ref>

==1939–1945==
In the [[Second World War]], Britain decided to shore up its support in the [[British Dominions|Dominions]] by having a royal visit to [[Canada]]. When [[George VI of the United Kingdom|King George VI]] and his consort [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Queen Elizabeth]] visited Canada in May and June 1939, they stopped in Hamilton and also opened up the [[QEW]].<ref name=FASTFACTS>{{cite web|title=Fast Facts from Hamilton's Past |url=http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/Localhistory/Fast+Facts.htm |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083215/http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/Localhistory/Fast%2BFacts.htm |archive-date=2007-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hamiltonians like others in Canada and the world welcomed the spike of economic demand caused by the war but not its source. Heavy industry again began spewing out its pollutants, and by the end of the war the ecological cost of pollution had taken its toll on Hamilton: heavy metals made fish from the [[Burlington Bay|Hamilton Harbour]] inedible, [[air pollution]] made breathing difficult and industrial dumps [[contaminated land]].

Unlike the First World War, in this war the [[Canadian Army]] mobilized its territorially recruited militia units as a body rather than soliciting individuals to serve in conglomerated units. Men of the [[Royal Hamilton Light Infantry]] (colloquially known as the Rileys) and the rest of the [[2nd Canadian Division]] were mobilized early, but sat on their hands in Britain for two years. The Hamilton area was also active in the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF): the city proper sponsored 424 "Tiger" Squadron by buying bombers to equip it.

On the home front, the public not only eagerly followed the progress of the war, but they also got a chance to see airmen in action. In 1940, as part of the [[British Commonwealth Air Training Plan]], the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] established a station in [[Glanbrook|Glanford Township]]. Hundreds of [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] pilots and other aircrew were trained at [[RCAF]] Station Mount Hope, and some unfortunate ones are still buried there.

The army’s enforced idleness—disregarding their unsuccessful foray to [[France]] in May 1940 and disastrous defence of [[Hong Kong]] in December 1941—led to discontent in the army, the public and the government. In this atmosphere, the timing was ripe for [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Louis Mountbatten]]’s ill-advised and unauthorized [[Dieppe Raid|raid-in-force]]. The Rileys lost hundreds of its young men on a single day in 1942, when they were effectively wiped out as a fighting force at [[Dieppe Raid|Dieppe]]. In 1943, the [[Hamilton Parks Police]], a [[special constable]] force was formed.<ref>Hamilton Police Department Scrapbook. vol. 9. p.&nbsp;37. Local History & Archives, HPL.</ref>

When the [[war]] finally ended, Hamilton was a much different place. [[Women]] had permanently entered the paid workforce. The lean times of the Great Depression were over—and veterans were going to make sure that happened.

==Notable people from Hamilton prior to 1946==
{{See also|Category:Mayors of Hamilton, Ontario}}
{{Historical populations
| 1816 | 668
| 1833 | 1000
| 1841 | 3000
| 1846 | 6832
| 1850 | 10248
| 1861 | 19096
| 1871 | 26716
| 1880 | 35009
| 1890 | 44643
| 1900 | 51561
| 1910 | 70221
| 1914 | 100808
| 1920 | 108143
| 1929 | 134566
| 1939 | 155276
| 1945 | 175364
| 1950 | 192125
| 1960 | 258576
| 1970 | 296826
| 1980 | 306640
| 1990 | 307160
| 2002<sup>†</sup> | 490268
| 2006 | 504559
| 2011 | 519949
|source = <ref name=memproj38>{{cite press release| title =The Hamilton Memory Project| publisher =The Hamilton Spectator- Souvenir Edition|page=MP38| date = June 10, 2006}}</ref><ref name="HAMBIO1-p143">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol I, 1791-1875)|first=Thomas Melville |last=Bailey|publisher=W.L. Griffin Ltd|page=143|year=1981}}</ref><ref name=bartont>{{cite web| title =Barton township census - 1816| url =http://www.myhamilton.ca/sites/default/files/Barton%20Township%20Census,%201816.pdf| access-date =2012-06-03}}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><br /><small><sup>†</sup>2002=Post-Amalgamation.</small>
}}
People associated with Hamilton who became well-known prior to 1946 are listed below in the order of their birth year.
[[File:Colin Campbell Ferrie.jpg|thumb|Colin Campbell Ferrie, Hamilton's first mayor]]
[[File:Thomas Bain.jpg|thumb|Thomas Bain, Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons]]
[[File:James McMillan.jpg|thumb|right|[[James McMillan (politician)|James McMillan]] was a [[U.S. Senator]] from the state of [[Michigan]] from 1889 to 1902.]]
[[File:John Morison Gibson (close up).jpg|thumb|Sir John Morison Gibson]]
* [[Étienne Brûlé]], (1592–1633), The first European to visit what is now Hamilton was probably Étienne Brûlé in 1616.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Robert Land (1739–1818)|Robert Land]], (1736–1818), veteran of the [[American Revolution]] and one of Hamilton's founding citizens.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[John Askin]], (1739–1815), was a fur trader, merchant and official in Upper Canada.<ref name=JASKIN>{{cite DCB |first=David R. |last=Farrell |title=Askin, John |volume=5 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/askin_john_5E.html}}</ref>
* [[Nathaniel Hughson]], (1755–1837), Farmer & hotel owner, Loyalist who moved to Canada following the American Revolution, one of the city founders of Hamilton.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[William Rymal]], (1759–1852), farmer and one of earliest settlers on the Hamilton mountain. [[Rymal Road (Hamilton, Ontario)|Rymal Road]] was named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Richard Beasley (politician)|Richard Beasley]] (1761–1842), was a soldier, political figure, farmer and businessman in Upper Canada.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[John Vincent (general)|John Vincent]], (1764–1848), British army officer in the [[Battle of Stoney Creek]], [[War of 1812]].<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Richard Hatt]] (1769–1819), was a businessman, judge and political figure in [[Upper Canada]].<ref name=RHATT>{{cite DCB |last=In collaboration with Bruce A. Parker |title=Hatt, Richard |volume=5 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hatt_richard_5E.html}}</ref>
* [[James Gage]], (1774–1854), Lumber merchant, miller. Gage Avenue in the city named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[James Durand]], (1775–1833), was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada.<ref name=JDURAND>{{cite DCB |first=John C. |last=Weaver |title=Durand, James |volume=6 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/durand_james_6E.html}}</ref>
* [[John Willson]], (1776–1860) was a judge and political figure in [[Upper Canada]].<ref name=GALLERYDIST>{{cite web| title = The Hamilton Gallery of Distinction| url = http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/gallery/| access-date = 2008-01-24| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060511225507/http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/gallery/| archive-date = 2006-05-11| url-status = dead}}</ref>
* [[Peter Hess (Hamilton, Ontario)|Peter Hess]], (1779–1855), farmer, landowner. ''Peter'' and [[Hess Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|Hess Streets]] in the city named after him as well as Caroline Street named after one of his daughters.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[George Hamilton (1788–1836)|George Hamilton]], (1788–1836), settler and city founder.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Henry Beasley]], (1793–1859), was a farmer and office-holder.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* Sir [[Allan MacNab]], (Sir Allan Napier MacNab), (1798–1862), soldier, lawyer, businessman, knight and former Prime Minister of Upper Canada. [[MacNab Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|MacNab Street]] in Hamilton is named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
*[[Thomas Stinson]], (1798–1864), merchant, banker, landowner. He was an extensive landowner in not only in Hamilton but as well as [[Chicago]], [[St. Paul, Minnesota]], and [[Superior, Wisconsin|Superior City, Wisconsin]], which he named.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[George Perkins Boothesby Bull]], (1795–1847), newspaper printer, publisher of one of Hamilton's early newspapers ''The Hamilton Gazette'' (1835–1856).<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Edward Jackson (manufacturer)|Edward Jackson]], (1799–1872), tinware manufacturer. [[Jackson Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|Jackson Street]] in city named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Peter Hunter Hamilton]], (1800–1857), landowner and businessman + half brother of city founder [[George Hamilton (1788–1836)|George Hamilton]]. [[Hunter Street (Hamilton, Ontario)|Hunter Street]] in city named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Peter Jones (missionary)|Peter Jones]], (1802-1856), known in Ojibwe as Kahkewāquonāby; Son of [[Augustus Jones]] and [[Tuhbenahneequay]], Indigenous Methodist missionary and Chief of the [[Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation]], born on the [[Burlington Heights (Ontario)|Burlington Heights]].<ref name="PETERJONES">{{cite book|title=Sacred Feathers: The Reverend Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby) and the Mississauga Indians, Second Edition|first=Don |last=Smith|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2013}}</ref>
* [[Colin Campbell Ferrie]], (1808–1856), Hamilton's first Mayor.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Isaac Buchanan]], (1810–1883), was a businessman and political figure in [[Canada West]].<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Daniel C. Gunn]], (1811–1876), wharfinger, locomotive manufacturer.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[James Jolley]], (1813–1892), saddler, harnessmaker, politician. Funded construction of the Jolley Cut; a Mountain access road in Hamilton.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[John Rae (explorer)|John Rae]], (1813-1893), physician, explorer. Discovered fate of [[Franklin's lost expedition|the Lost Franklin Expedition]]; lived in Hamilton 1857–1860.<ref name="JRAE">{{cite book|title=Fatal Passage: The Story of John Rae – the Arctic hero time forgot|first=Ken |last=McGoogan|publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers|year=2002}}</ref>
* [[Colin Campbell Ferrie]], (1808–1856), Hamilton's first Mayor.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Dennis Moore (Canadian manufacturer)|Dennis Moore]], (1817–1887), tinware manufacturer.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Hugh Cossart Baker, Sr.]], (1818–1859), Banker, businessman, mathematician. Establishes the first life insurance company in Canada (21 August 1847); the [[Canada Life Assurance Company]].<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Richard Wanzer]], (1818–1900), sewing machine manufacturer.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Thomas Mayne Daly Sr.]], (1827–1885), was a businessman and political figure in Canada West (later Ontario). He represented the riding of Perth North in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] and in the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]].<ref name=TMDALY>{{cite DCB |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/daly_thomas_mayne_1827_85_11E.html| last=Swainson| first=Donald| title=Daly, Thomas Mayne|volume=11}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Bain]], (1834–1915), [[Speaker of the House of Commons (Canada)|Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons]].<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[Richard Butler (publisher)|Richard Butler]], (1834–1925), editor, publisher, journalist. [[Butler (Hamilton, Ontario)|Butler]] neighbourhood in Hamilton named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[George Elias Tuckett]], (1835–1900), Tuckett Tobacco Company, Hamilton's 27th mayor.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[James McMillan (Senator)|James McMillan]], (1838–1902), was a [[U.S. Senator]] from the state of [[Michigan]] from 1889 to 1902.<ref name=jamesm>{{cite book|title=Gray Eminence in a Gilded Age: The Forgotten Career of Senator James McMillan of Michigan|first=Geoffrey G. |last=Drutchas|pages=78–113|year=2002}}</ref>
* [[William Eli Sanford]] (1838–1899), was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and politician.<ref name=WESANF>{{cite DCB |first=Peter |last=Hanlon |title=Sanford, William Eli |volume=12 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/sanford_william_eli_12E.html}}</ref>
* George Washington Johnson, (1839–1917), teacher and songwriter; author of poem [[When You and I Were Young, Maggie]], later turned into a song.
* Sir [[John Morison Gibson]], (1842–1929), lawyer, politician, businessman.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[Clementina Trenholme]], (1844–1918), Clementina (Fessenden) Trenholme, author, social organizer. Also, mother of [[Reginald Fessenden]], the radio pioneer. Had two neighbourhoods on the Hamilton Mountain named after her, [[Trenholme (Hamilton, Ontario)|Trenholme]] and [[Fessenden (Hamilton, Ontario)|Fessenden]] neighbourhoods.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[Hugh Cossart Baker, Jr.]], (1846–1931), businessman, telephone pioneer.<ref name="HAM100"/>
* [[William W. Cooke]], (1846–1876), was a military officer in the United States Army during the [[American Civil War]] and the Black Hills War. He was the adjutant for [[George Armstrong Custer]] and was killed during the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]]. Buried in Hamilton Cemetery.<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Allan Studholme]], (1846–1919), stove maker and first Ontario Labour MLA.<ref name=ASTUDH>{{cite DCB |first=Craig |last=Heron |title=Studholme, Allan |volume=14 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/studholme_allan_14E.html}}</ref>
* [[Campbell Leckie]], (1848–1925), engineer. [[Leckie Park (Hamilton, Ontario)|Leckie Park]] neighbourhood in Hamilton named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* Sir [[William Osler]], (1849–1919), 1st [[Baronet]], the Father of Modern Medicine.<ref name=WOSLER>{{cite DCB |title=Osler, Sir William |first=Charles G. |last=Roland | author-link = Charles Gordon Roland |volume=14 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/osler_william_14E.html}}</ref>
* [[Robert B. Harris]], (1852–1933), businessman who established ''The Hamilton Herald'' newspaper in 1889.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[E. D. Smith]], (1853–1948), farmer, businessman and politician.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[James Balfour (architect)|James Balfour]], (1854–1917), architect, Canadas Life Assurance Company building at corner of King & James (1883), City Hall on corner of James & York (1888).<ref name="HAMBIO1"/>
* [[Robert Kirkland Kernighan]], (1854–1926), poet, journalist. [[Kernighan (Hamilton, Ontario)|Kernighan]] neighbourhood in Hamilton named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[Robert Stanley Weir]], (1856–1926), lawyer, poet, author, best remembered as the author of the English lyrics to ''O Canada''.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
*Charles S. Wilcox, (1856–1938), First president of Iron and Steel Company of Canada, (later called simply [[Stelco]]), which was formed from five companies, including his [[Hamilton Steel and Iron Company]].<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* Sir [[John Strathearn Hendrie]], (1857–1923), was [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario]] from 1914 to 1919.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[Adam Inch]], (1857–1933), dairy farmer, politician. [[Inch Park (Hamilton, Ontario)|Inch Park]] neighbourhood in Hamilton named after him.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[Andrew Ross (businessman)|Andrew Ross]], (1857–1941), businessman, builder of [[Tivoli Theatre (Ontario)|Tivoli Theatre]] & [[Barton Street Arena]].<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[Adelaide Hoodless]], (1858–1910), education and women’s activist.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[John Moodie]] Jr., (1859–1944), executive, hobbyist, drove first automobile in Canada in 1898; a one-cylinder [[Winton Motor Carriage Company|Winton]] he imported from Cleveland, Ohio.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[Thomas Willson]], (1860–1915), Canadian inventor, designed and patented the first electric [[arc lamps]].<ref name=WILLSON>{{cite DCB |title=Willson, Thomas Willson |first=Jennifer |last=Paton |volume=14 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/willson_thomas_leopold_14E.html}}</ref>
* [[Sydney Chilton Mewburn]], (1863–1956), was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence from October 12, 1917 - January 15, 1920, under Sir [[Robert Borden]]'s Union Government in 1917.<ref name="HAMBIO2"/>
* [[John Charles Fields]], (1863–1932), was a Canadian mathematician and the founder of the [[Fields Medal]] for outstanding achievement in mathematics. the Fields Medal, is considered by some to be the [[Nobel Prize]] in Mathematics.<ref name=FIELDS>{{cite web| title =Field's Institute Biography: John Charles Fields| url=http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/aboutus/jcfields/| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Helen Gregory MacGill]], (1864–1947), the first woman in British Columbia to be appointed a judge of the juvenile Court, a post she held for 23 years.<ref name=HGMacG>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Black |first=Naomi |title=Helen Gregory MacGill |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=4 March 2015 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/helen-gregory-macgill}}</ref>
* [[Peter Wiley Philpott]], (1865-1957), a [[Fundamentalism#Christianity|fundamentalist]] and [[Evangelicalism |evangelist]], founded the United Christian Workers, a religious movement later known as the [[Associated Gospel Churches of Canada]]. 
* [[Julia Arthur]], (1868–1959), was a Canadian-born stage and film actress.<ref name=ARTHUR>{{cite web| title = Internet Broadway Database Biography: Julia Arthur| url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=14065| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Walter Rollo]], first Ontario minister of labour.
* [[John M. Lyle]], (1872–1945), Canadian architect in the late 19th century; [[New York Public Library]] (1897), Royal Alexandra Theatre, in Toronto (1907), [[Union Station (Toronto)]] 1914–1921.<ref name=Lyle>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Hunt |first=Geoffrey |title=John MacIntosh Lyle |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=4 March 2015 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-macintosh-lyle}}</ref>
* [[Clifton Sherman]], (1872–1955), founded ''Dominion Foundries and Steel'' (later called [[Dofasco]]) in 1912 (with his brother [[Frank Sherman]]), creating a giant that would bring prosperity and identity to the city.<ref name=GREATHAM2>{{cite web |title=Hamilton Spectator: "The Greatest Hamiltonian". (II) |url=http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1143499813048&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194324/http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1143499813048&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-09-27 |access-date=2008-01-24 }}</ref>
* [[Jean Adair]], (1873–1953), actress. Although she worked primarily on stage (sometimes billed as Jennet Adair), she made several film appearances late in her career, most notably as one of the misguided murdering aunts of [[Cary Grant]] in ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (film)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]''.<ref name=ADAIR>{{cite web| title = Internet Movie Database Biography: Jean Adair| website=[[IMDb]]| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010443/| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Charles William Bell]], (1876–1938), Playwright, Politician and Rocco Perri's Lawyer.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[Florence Harvey]], (1878–1968), Golf, Ontario Ladies Amateur Champion 1904, 1906, 1913, and 1914. Canadian Ladies Champion in 1903 and 1904. Founded and served on the executive of the Canadian Ladies Golf Association. Member of Canada's Golf Hall of Fame.<ref name=FAMCANWOM>{{cite web| title = Famous Canadian Women Athletes| url = http://famouscanadianwomen.com/on%20the%20job/sports.htm| access-date = 2008-01-24| archive-date = 2018-10-05| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181005194928/http://famouscanadianwomen.com/on%20the%20job/sports.htm| url-status = dead}}</ref>
* [[William Sherring]], (1878–1964), was a Canadian athlete, gold medal winner of the marathon race at the [[1906 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="memproj56"/>
* [[Elizabeth Bagshaw]], (1881–1982), physician and birth control activist.<ref name=BAGSHAW>{{cite web|title=Library and Archives Canada: Elizabeth Bagshaw |url=http://www.collectionscanada.ca/women/002026-296-e.html |access-date=2008-01-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001063124/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/women/002026-296-e.html |archive-date=2007-10-01 }}</ref>
* [[John Christie Holland]], (1882–1954), In 1924, became an ordained Minister and served as Pastor of Hamilton's Steward Memorial Church. The church has been designated an historic site by the Ontario government because its solid history and connection to the infamous [[Underground Railroad]]. 1953 was honored as Citizen of the Year in Hamilton, the first African Canadian to be given that recognition.<ref name=JCHOLLAND>{{cite web|title=The Hamilton Gallery of Distinction: Reverend John Holland |url=http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/Gallery.htm |access-date=2008-01-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234300/http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/gallery.htm |archive-date=September 26, 2007 }}</ref>
* [[Robert Kerr (athlete)|Robert Kerr]], (1882–1963), was an Irish-Canadian sprinter. He won the gold medal in the 200 metres and the bronze medal in the 100 metres at the [[1908 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="memproj56"/>
* [[Thomas Baker McQuesten]], (1882–1948), lawyer and Ontario minister of transportation.<ref name="MCQUESTEN"/>
* [[Rocco Perri]], (1887–1944), 1920s Gangster.  'King of the Bootleggers'.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[Frank Sherman]], (1887–1967), Founded ''Dominion Foundries and Steel'' (later called [[Dofasco]]) in 1912 (with his brother [[Clifton Sherman]]), creating a giant that would bring prosperity and identity to the city.<ref name="GALLERYDIST"/>
* [[Harry Crerar]], (1888–1965), was a Canadian general and the country's "leading field commander" in World War II.<ref name=HCrerar>{{cite book|title=The Generals : the Canadian Army's Senior Commanders in the Second World War|first=J.L.|last=Granatstein|year=1993|location=Toronto|isbn=0-7737-5728-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/generalscanadian0000gran}}</ref>
* [[Besha Starkman]], (1889–1907), Criminal. Rocco Perri's wife and partner in crime. ("the Brains")<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
* [[Douglass Dumbrille]], (1889–1974), was an actor and one of the [[Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood]].<ref name=DUMBRILLE>{{cite web| title = Internet Movie Database Biography: Douglas Dumbrille| website=[[IMDb]]| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0241523/| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[James Lyle Telford]], (1889–1960), was mayor of [[Vancouver, B.C.]], from 1939 to 1940.<ref name=JLTELF>{{cite web| title = Vancouver History, List of Mayors: James Lyle Telford| url=http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/whoswho_mayors.htm| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Florence Lawrence]], (1890–1938), [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood's]] first movie star.<ref name="HAMBIO3"/>
*[[Dick Irvin]] Sr., (1892–1957), NHL hockey player. Former head coach of [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] & [[Montreal Canadiens]].<ref name=CHATLAS>{{cite book|title=The Canadian Hockey Atlas|url=https://archive.org/details/canadianhockeyat0000cole|url-access=registration|first=Stephen|last=Cole|publisher=Doubleday Canada|year=2006|isbn=978-0-385-66093-8 }}</ref>
* [[Del Lord]], (1894–1970), was a film director and actor best known as a director of [[Three Stooges]] films. (Grimsby Ontario)<ref name=LORD>{{cite web| title = Internet Movie Database Biography: Del Lord| website=[[IMDb]]| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0520419/| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Helen Kinnear]], (1894–1970), was a Canadian lawyer. She was the first federally appointed woman judge in Canada.<ref name=HAKINN>{{cite web| title =Famous Canadian Women, Judges: Helen Alice Kinnear| url=http://famouscanadianwomen.com/stamps/kinnear.htm| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Frank O'Rourke (baseball)|Frank O'Rourke]], (1894–1986), ex-pro MLB baseball player and long time [[New York Yankees]] scout.<ref name=FOROURKE>{{cite web| title = www.baseball-reference.com/: Frank O'Rourke| url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/o/o'roufr01.shtml| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Cecil "Babe" Dye]], (1898–1962), NHL hockey player, NHL's top goal scorer of the 1920s, inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in 1970.<ref name="CHATLAS"/>
* Harold A. Rogers, (1899–1994), was the founder of Kin Canada, is a Canadian non-profit service organization that promotes service, fellowship, positive values, and national pride.<ref name=HROGERS>{{cite web|title=Kinsmen Clubs of Canada: Harold A. Rogers |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mlsteiner/about.htm |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930082552/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mlsteiner/about.htm |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[George Owen (ice hockey)|George Owen]], (1901–1986) was a pro hockey defenceman for the [[Boston Bruins]] of the NHL.<ref name=GOWEN>{{cite web| title = Legends of Hockey Biography: George Owen| url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13907| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Robert McDonald (soccer)|Robert McDonald]], (1902–1956), was a Canadian soccer player from the 1920s and 1930s who spent a decade playing for famous Scottish football club Rangers.<ref name=RMcDON>{{cite web| title = Canadian Soccer Hall-of-Fame Bio: Robert McDonald| url=http://www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca/OSN.nsf/c1bfa845a2dec3bf85256b0b005d4116/eb0496b61075916c85256b0d006e6d43?OpenDocument| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[John Weir Foote|John Foote]], (1904–1988), military chaplain and Ontario cabinet minister. Canadian recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]].<ref name=JFOOTE>{{cite web| title = Veteran Affairs Canada: John Weir Foote| url = http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/citations/foote| access-date = 2008-01-24| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071124112345/http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history%2Fsecondwar%2Fcitations%2Ffoote| archive-date = 2007-11-24| url-status = dead}}</ref>
* [[George Klein (inventor)|George Klein]], (1904–1992), often called "the most productive inventor in Canada in the 20th century"; electric wheelchairs, microsurgical staple gun, the ZEEP nuclear reactor and the [[Canadarm]].<ref name=Klein>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Phillipson |first=Donald J.C. |title=George Klein |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=26 May 2015 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/george-klein}}</ref>
* [[Red Horner]], (1909–2005), ex-pro hockey player, helped Toronto Maple Leafs win their first [[Stanley Cup]] in 1932.<ref name="CHATLAS"/>
* [[Ray Lewis (runner)|Ray Lewis]], (1910–2003), Track & Field, first Canadian-born Black Olympic medalist.<ref name="memproj56"/>
* [[Jackie Callura]], (1914–1943), Canadian featherweight Boxer, World featherweight champion 1943.<ref name="memproj56" />
* [[Syl Apps]], (1915–1998), Legendary Toronto Maple Leafs captain who led the Leafs to 3-Stanley Cups. [[McMaster University]] Alumni. (Paris Ontario).<ref name="CHATLAS"/>
* [[Harold E. Johns]], (1915–1998), was a Canadian medical physicist, noted for his extensive contributions to the use of ionizing radiation to treat cancer.<ref name=HJOHNS>{{cite web|title=Canadian Nuclear Society: Harold E. Johns |url=http://www.cns-snc.ca/history/pioneers/harold_johns/hejohns.html |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004042/http://www.cns-snc.ca/history/pioneers/harold_johns/hejohns.html |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Roy Brown Jr.]], (1916–2013), was a Canadian-American car designer and engineer, widely known for styling the [[Edsel]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Roy Brown Jr., Edsel Designer, Dies at 96|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/business/roy-brown-jr-edsel-designer-dies-at-96.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=8 March 2013|first=William|last=Yardley|date=5 March 2013}}</ref>
* [[Jackie Washington]], (1919-2009), [[blues]] musician and railway worker.<ref name=JWASHIN>{{AllMusic | class = artist | id = p391289 | label = Biography for Jackie Washington | tab = biography | first = Bruce | last = Eder | access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Joe Krol]], (1919-2008), Canadian Football quarterback (1932–53), [[Lou Marsh Trophy]] winner as Canada's top athlete in 1946.<ref name="memproj56"/>
* [[Win Mortimer]], (1919–1998), was a comic book and comic strip artist for the [[DC Comics]] superhero [[Superman]].<ref name=mortimer>{{cite web| title =Comiclopedia: Win Mortimer| url=http://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/mortimer_win.htm| access-date = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Leo Reise Jr.]], (1922-2015), retired NHL hockey defenseman. 494-games played in the 1940s & 1950s for Detroit, Chicago and NY Rangers.<ref name="CHATLAS"/>
* [[John Callaghan (physician)|John Callaghan]], (1923–2004), Canadian [[cardiologist]] who pioneered open-heart surgery.<ref name=JCALLAG>{{cite web|title=Alberta Order of Excellence: John Callaghan |url=http://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/aoe/bio/callag.htm |access-date=2008-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212534/http://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/aoe/bio/callag.htm |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Economic History of Hamilton, Ontario]]
* [[History of Ontario]]
* [[List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Hamilton, Ontario]]
* [[List of royal visits to Hamilton, Ontario]]
* [[Timeline of events in Hamilton, Ontario]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
<!--Sort by date: most recent first -->
<!--Use citation templates -->
<!--Add one-sentence description -->
* {{cite book |title=Lunch-Bucket Lives: Remaking the Workers' City |first=Craig |last=Heron |author-link=Craig Heron |date=2015 |isbn=978-1-771-13212-1 |oclc=894750861 |publisher=Between the Lines Books |url={{Google books|GXOnEAAAQBAJ|plain-url=yes}}}} An illustrated [[social history]].
* {{cite book |title=Hamilton: A People's History |first=Bill |last=Freeman |author-link=Bill Freeman (author) |date=2001 |isbn=978-1-550-28936-7  |oclc=46991381 |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |url={{Google books|Fefo5aaIrOgC|plain-url=yes}}}} An illustrated [[popular history]].

==External links==
===Historical documentation===
Many other websites contain some photographs and other documentation, but these sites contain primarily these.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181634/http://www.national.gallery.ca/sva/on/ham_01/cap_e.htm Canadian Souvenir View Albums (Hamilton, Ontario)]
* [http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/cultural_landmarks/index.htm Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton Wentworth]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050309061916/http://www.fwio.on.ca/Contribute/about/historic_achievements.asp Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario]
* [http://www.postcardsofhamilton.com Postcards from Hamilton's Past]
* [http://www.hamiltonpostcards.com Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, Ontario]
* [http://historicalhamilton.com HistoricalHamilton.com, A Historical Photographic Tour of Hamilton's Past]
* [http://members.shaw.ca/tunebook/maggie.htm "When You and I Were Young, Maggie"], lyrics to George Johnson's song

===Miscellaneous links===
* [http://www.map.hamilton.ca Map.Hamilton.ca]
* [http://www.ancastermill.com Ancaster Old Mill]
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Weaver |first=John C. |title=Hamilton |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=11 March 2019 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hamilton}}
* [http://www.haunted-hamilton.com Haunted Hamilton]
* [http://www.ghostwalks.com/hamiltondarkhistory.htm Hamilton's Dark History Walk : Ghost Walks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531090349/http://www.ghostwalks.com/hamiltondarkhistory.htm |date=2015-05-31 }}

{{Hamilton}}
{{History of Canada navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Hamilton, Ontario}}
[[Category:History of Hamilton, Ontario| ]]