Hiram Walker was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 grocer

Grocer

A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...

 and distiller, and the eponym

Eponym

An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...

 of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, Canada

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...

. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts

East Douglas, Massachusetts

East Douglas is a census-designated place in the town of Douglas in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Douglas is located at ....

, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s. He purchased land across the Detroit River

Detroit River

The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...

, just east of what was Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, and established a distillery in 1858 in what was then Walkerville, Ontario

Walkerville, Ontario

The former town of Walkerville Ontario, Canada is now a heritage precinct of Windsor Ontario. Incorporated in 1890, the town was founded by Hiram Walker, owner and producer of Canadian Club Whisky. Walker planned it as a 'model town’ ) that would be the envy of both the region and the continent...

. Walker began selling his whiskey as Hiram Walker's Club Whiskey. It became very popular, angering American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 distillers, who forced the U.S.