Erskine Henry Bronson
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman and political figure. He represented the City of Ottawa
Ottawa (City of)
Ottawa was a federal electoral district in the province of Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935.It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. It consisted of the city of Ottawa...
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1886 to 1898.
He was born in Bolton, New York
Bolton, New York
Bolton is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,117 at the 2000 census. Bolton is on the east border of the county.- History :...
in 1844, the son of Henry Franklin Bronson
Henry Franklin Bronson
Henry Franklin Bronson was a Canadian lumber baron known as one of Ottawa's early entrepreneurs establishing a large lumber mill at Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River...
, and came to Bytown
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It was founded on on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General...
with his family in 1853. Bronson was educated in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He became a partner in the Bronsons and Weston Lumber Company in 1867 and took control of the company when his father died in 1889.
Bronson served on Ottawa City Council from 1872 to 1877 and was a provincial minister in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1886 to 1898. He was also a public school board trustee for 18 years.
Bronson was president of the Ottawa Power Company, Limited. This resulted from his efforts to diversify the family business. The power house and power plant at Chaudière Falls
Chaudière Falls
The Chaudière Falls are a set of cascades and waterfall in the centre of the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area in Canada where the Ottawa River narrows between a rocky escarpment on both sides of the river. The location is just west of the Chaudière Bridge, northwest of the Canadian War Museum at...
which were erected in 1900 following the 1900 Hull–Ottawa fire were owned by this company. Bronson also was responsible for the 1891 construction of Generating Station No. 2 at the falls. He, with Gordon B. Pattee (a lumber baron), formed Standard Electric Light Company. (This company was almost certainly actually called Standard Electric Company of Ottawa (Limited), formed in 1891 with Bronson as president, and Pattee as vice-president, which merged with others into the Ottawa Electric Company in 1894). Bronson was later director of the Ottawa Electric Company later absorbed by Ottawa Hydro
Hydro Ottawa
Hydro Ottawa is an electricity distribution company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As of 2010, Hydro Ottawa provides power to over 296,000 customers in Ottawa and Casselman.-History:...
.
He served as Vice President of Ottawa Electric Company, Vice President of Ottawa Light, Heat and Power Company, Limited and President of Upper Ottawa Improvement Company, Limited. He was also president of "Bronson Company" and president of the Ottawa Carbide Company.
Bronson was also noted as a philanthropist, supporting churches, missions and charities.
Bronson retired from business in 1910. He died at Ottawa in 1920. He is buried in Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery is the National Cemetery of Canada. Because it is located in Ottawa, Ontario, the nation's capital, it is the burial site for a number of statesmen as well as a large number of mayors of the city. A woodland cemetery founded in 1873, it is 160 acres and is the largest cemetery...
. A street in Ottawa, Bronson Avenue
Bronson Avenue (Ottawa)
Bronson Avenue is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from downtown at Sparks Street in the north through Centretown, past the Glebe and Carleton University and turns into the Airport Parkway, which is an expressway to the Macdonald-Cartier International...
is named after him.
Family
Erskine H. Bronson married Ella W. Webster at Norfolk, Va., in 1874. Ella was the daughter of Prof. N. B. Webster, a cousin of the American statesman, Daniel WebsterDaniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
. She was a member of the Ottawa Council of Women since its first organization, and assisted in the establishment of the Associated Charities. She served as President of the Maternity Hospital, Ottawa, when it opened in 1895.
Bronson had one son and one daughter.