Robert McLaughlin (November 16, 1836 – November 23, 1921) was an
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
manufacturer. He founded the McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car companies which later became part of
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
.
He was born in Cavan Township,
Upper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario...
in 1836, the son of an
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
immigrant, John McLaughlin. He moved to
Darlington TownshipDarlington Township was a township in Upper Canada, later Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario.In 1974, it was amalgamated with Clarke Township to form Newcastle, Ontario, which was renamed Clarington, Ontario in 1994.- References :...
with his family in 1837. He married Mary Smith in 1864. In 1869, he set up a
carriageA carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, these being litters or wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be...
works at
EnniskillenEnniskillen is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Lambton County. The township, comprising the communities of Oil City, Glen Rae and Marthaville, had a population of 3,122 in the Canada 2006 Census...
.
Robert McLaughlin (November 16, 1836 – November 23, 1921) was an
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
manufacturer. He founded the McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car companies which later became part of
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
.
He was born in Cavan Township,
Upper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario...
in 1836, the son of an
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
immigrant, John McLaughlin. He moved to
Darlington TownshipDarlington Township was a township in Upper Canada, later Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario.In 1974, it was amalgamated with Clarke Township to form Newcastle, Ontario, which was renamed Clarington, Ontario in 1994.- References :...
with his family in 1837. He married Mary Smith in 1864. In 1869, he set up a
carriageA carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, these being litters or wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be...
works at
EnniskillenEnniskillen is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Lambton County. The township, comprising the communities of Oil City, Glen Rae and Marthaville, had a population of 3,122 in the Canada 2006 Census...
. McLaughlin also taught Sunday school in the
PresbyterianThe Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
church there. In 1877, he moved his business to
OshawaOshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe...
, feeling that moving to a larger urban centre with railway access was necessary for the growth of the business.
He established the Oshawa Carriage Works, later known as McLaughlin Carriage. In 1878, he married Sarah Jane Parr; his first wife had died of
consumptionTuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria...
. His sons John James, George William and
SamColonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, CC, ED, CD was an influential Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He founded the McLaughlin Motor Car Co...
also became involved in the business. McLaughlin served on the board of health and board of water commissioners at Oshawa and also served as mayor. He was first president of the local
YMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide movement of more than 45 million members from 124 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs....
. After a fire in 1899, he relocated to
GananoqueGananoque is a town in Leeds and Grenville County, Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,285 year-round residents in the Canada 2006 Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, Gananoque's most...
but returned to Oshawa the following year. In 1901, he married Eleanor McCulloch after the death of his second wife. In 1907, on the advice of his sons Sam and George, he set up the McLaughlin Motor Car Company Limited to manufacture automobiles. McLaughlin supported tariffs restricting trade with the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and opposed Sir
Wilfrid LaurierSir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from July 11, 1896, to October 5, 1911....
's
free tradeFree trade is a type of trade policy that allows traders to act and transact without interference from government. According to the law of comparative advantage the policy permits trading partners mutual gains from trade of goods and services....
proposals in 1910–11. In 1915, he sold off his carriage manufacturing business.
In 1918, his companies were taken over by General Motors. McLaughlin died at Oshawa in 1921 of colon cancer.
His brother
JamesJames Wellington McLaughlin was an Ontario doctor and political figure. He represented Durham West in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1879 to 1890....
was a doctor and member of the Ontario assembly.
External links