Abram William Lauder

Abram William Lauder
Ontario MPP
In office
1875–1884
Preceded byRiding established
Succeeded byNeil McColman
ConstituencyGrey East
In office
1867–1874
Preceded byRiding established
Succeeded byJames Hill Hunter
ConstituencyGrey South
Personal details
Born(1834-06-06)June 6, 1834
Bewcastle, England
DiedFebruary 20, 1884(1884-02-20) (aged 49)
Toronto, Ontario
Political partyConservative
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1856)​
ChildrenWilliam Waugh Lauder
OccupationLawyer

Abram William Lauder (June 6, 1834 – February 20, 1884) was a Canadian lawyer and political figure. He represented Grey South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1874 and Grey East from 1875 to 1884.

Biography

Lauder was born at Bewcastle in England in 1834, studied in Scotland and later came to Canada West. He taught school for a while, then moved to Toronto, articled in law and was called to the bar in 1864.

In 1856, he and writer Maria Elise Turner Lauder were married. They had one child, the pianist William Waugh Lauder.

In 1871, it was found that one of Lauder's supporters had used bribery to obtain votes. Lauder himself was not implicated, but was unseated as a result and then was reelected in the by-election that followed. Lauder later proved that a government land valuator, John L. Lewis had influenced voters in Proton by promising benefits from a Liberal government; also implicated were Archibald McKellar, Adam Oliver and James Kirkpatrick Kerr, the law partner of Ontario Premier Edward Blake. In 1872, Lauder defended the strike committee of the Toronto Typographical Union against charges brought forward by the Master Printers' Association; Canadian law at the time was not clear on the status of labour organizations.

In 1881, Lauder Township was named in his honor. He died in Toronto in 1884.[1]

Electoral history

1867 Ontario general election: Grey South
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Abram William Lauder 1,675 53.23
Liberal W.K. Flesher 1,472 46.77
Total valid votes 3,147 80.86
Eligible voters 3,892
Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[2]
1871 Ontario general election: Grey South
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Abram William Lauder 1,625 59.92
Liberal Mr. McFayden 1,087 40.08
Turnout 2,712 61.83
Eligible voters 4,386
Election voided
Source: Elections Ontario[3]
Ontario provincial by-election, January 1872: Grey South
Previous election voided
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abram William Lauder 1,670 52.37 −0.86
Independent Mr. Dickey 1,519 47.63  
Total valid votes 3,189 100.0   +1.33
Conservative hold Swing −0.86
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[4]: 111 
1875 Ontario general election: Grey East
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Abram William Lauder 1,297 67.55
Liberal W. Brown 623 32.45
Turnout 1,920 53.42
Eligible voters 3,594
Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[5]
1879 Ontario general election: Grey East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Abram William Lauder 1,294 55.70 −11.85
Independent Mr. Myles 728 31.34  
Conservative Joseph Rorke 301 12.96  
Total valid votes 2,323 49.64 −3.79
Eligible voters 4,680
Conservative hold Swing −11.85
Source: Elections Ontario[6]

References

  1. ^ Gardiner, Herbert Fairbairn (1899). Nothing But Names: An Inquiry Into the Origin of the Names of the Counties and Townships of Ontario (Public domain ed.). G.N. Morang. p. 513. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
  5. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1879. Retrieved April 19, 2024.