Alexander McBride was the ninth mayor of Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

District of Alberta

The District of Alberta was one of four districts of the Northwest Territories created in 1882. It was styled the Alberta Provisional District to distinguish it from the District of Keewatin which had a more autonomous relationship from the NWT administration...

.

McBride arrived in Calgary in 1886 and established a hardware store on Stephen Avenue

Stephen Avenue

Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The mall is actually the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m....

, A. McBride and Company. This was Calgary's first hardware store. During the 1890s, he spent five years on city council including one year as mayor in 1896. He narrowly won his mayoral election against incumbent Wesley Fletcher Orr

Wesley Fletcher Orr

Wesley Fletcher Orr was a Canadian businessman, journalist, and politician. He was the eighth mayor of the city of Calgary, Alberta....

. After his term, McBride did not seek re-election. This allowed Orr to return uncontested to the mayoral seat.

Prior to moving to Calgary, McBride was a tinsmith

Tinsmith

A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...

 in London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Ontario. There, he and his wife, Lucy, built in 1874 the home located at 504 Colborne Street. Lucy's asthma was the motivating factor for their move to Calgary.

Early in the 1900s, he left Calgary and spent time in Fort Steele, British Columbia

Fort Steele, British Columbia

Fort Steele is a heritage town in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located north of the Crowsnest Highway along Highways 93 and 95, northeast of Cranbrook.-History:...

, Cranbrook, British Columbia

Cranbrook, British Columbia

Cranbrook, British Columbia is a city in southeast British Columbia, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary's River, It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the East Kootenay. As of 2006, Cranbrook's population is 18,267, and the...

, and Red Deer, Alberta

Red Deer, Alberta

Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...

. Edward, the oldest of his six children, took over his business. McBride died in Galt, Ontario in 1912.