Francis Cochrane
Timiskaming | |
---|---|
In office 1917–1919 | |
Preceded by | first member |
Succeeded by | Angus McDonald |
Personal details | |
Born | November 18, 1852 Conservative |
Residence(s) | Sudbury, Ontario |
Occupation | Merchant |
Francis Cochrane, PC (November 18, 1852 – September 22, 1919) was a Canadian politician.
Early life
Cochrane was born in 1852 in Clarenceville, Quebec. Little is known about his early life due to a lack of personal papers. His son, Wilbur, managed to uncover some information about this period, including that he worked for Marshall Field in Chicago during the 1870s before moving to Pembroke, Ontario, where he met his wife, Alice Dunlap. He and Alice lived in Mattawa during the 1880s before moving to Sudbury. While living in Mattawa, Cochrane hosted Prime Minister John A. Macdonald at his home while he recovered from a brief illness.[1]
Municipal career
A prosperous hardware merchant in Sudbury, Ontario, he was the first president of the town's board of trade and later served as mayor of the town in 1897, 1898 and 1902 after winning a council seat in 1896.[2][page needed]
Along with local businessman William McVittie, he subsequently invested in the Wahnapitae Power Company, which was contracted to provide the town's hydroelectricity services until it was sold to the Hydroelectric Power Commission of Ontario in 1929.[3][page needed] Cochrane and McVittie also ventured into prospecting, developing the Frood Extension property in 1908.[4]
Provincial career
Cochrane first ran for provincial office in 1902 as the
He was reelected in the 1908 election in the new electoral district of Sudbury.
Federal career
After being re-elected in 1911 George Gordon, the Conservative MP for Nipissing, stepped aside to enable Cochrane to run in a by-election and he won the seat. Gordon was subsequently appointed to the Senate.
Cochrane served in Nipissing until 1917, and was
In 1917, he ran as the
Honours
The town of Cochrane, Ontario was named for him.[5]
References
- ISBN 0-7705-0889-8.
- ^ Dorian, Charles (1961). The First 75 Years, A Headline History of Sudbury, Canada. Ilfracombe, Eng.: Arthur H. Stockwell, Ltd.
- ISBN 978-1-55002-170-7.
- ^ a b Bray, R. Matthew (1998). "Cochrane, Francis". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ISBN 0-7705-1524-X. Retrieved 20 October 2020.