Abraham Law was the first Reeve of Richmond Hill, Ontario

Richmond Hill, Ontario

Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...

. Law was married to Elizabeth Klinck, with whom he fathered thirteen children.

Law was born in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. In 1824 he came to Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

 with his parents, who settled outside of Stouffville. Law came to Richmond Hill in 1826. In Richmond Hill he took up employment as a general merchant

Merchant

A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...

. He soon came to own a tannery

Tanning

Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

 where he worked as a tanner. In 1827, he purchased a lot at the corner of Yonge Street

Yonge Street

Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...

 and today's Richmond Street, where he built an estate he named "Richmond Villa" in 1833. In the 1850s, Law worked as an assessor

Assessor (property)

An assessor is a specialist who calculates the value of property. The value calculated by the assessor is then used as the basis for determining the amounts to be paid or assessed for tax or insurance purposes....

 for Vaughan Township.

On January 6, 1873, Law was elected the first reeve of the newly incorporated village of Richmond Hill. The biggest issue that faced the Richmond Hill Village Council during his term was the need for a new high school for the village. Money was raised for the school and its construction was completed in November of 1873. Law served only a single year as mayor, and was replaced in 1874 by William Harrison

William Harrison

William Harrison may refer to:* William Harrison , author of "Roller Ball Murder" and the screenplay for Rollerball* William Harrison , saddlemaker, historian and reeve of Richmond Hill, Ontario...

. Law died in Richmond Hill in 1885 and was buried in the Presbyterian church cemetery.

Law crescent in Richmond Hill was named in his honour.