Thomas McKay (September 1, 1792 – October 9, 1855) was a Canadian businessman who was one of the founders of the city of Ottawa, Ontario. He was born in
Perth, ScotlandPerth is a former royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative headquarters of Perth and Kinross council area. According to the 2001 census, its population is 43,450...
and became a skilled stonemason. He emigrated to the Canadas in 1817, and settled in
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
.
He became partners with
John RedpathJohn Redpath was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec the largest and most prosperous city in Canada....
and their firm did the masonry work on the
Lachine CanalThe Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine , Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
near Montreal, they then went on to build the locks on the lower section of the
Rideau CanalThe Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, between the
Rideau Riverthumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
and the
Ottawa RiverThe Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It defines for most of its length the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
at
BytownBytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital city.Located where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River, it took its name from John By who, as Colonel of the British Engineers, was instrumental in the construction of the canal. Bytown was incorporated in 1850 and, upon...
.
Thomas McKay (September 1, 1792 – October 9, 1855) was a Canadian businessman who was one of the founders of the city of Ottawa, Ontario. He was born in
Perth, ScotlandPerth is a former royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative headquarters of Perth and Kinross council area. According to the 2001 census, its population is 43,450...
and became a skilled stonemason. He emigrated to the Canadas in 1817, and settled in
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
.
He became partners with
John RedpathJohn Redpath was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec the largest and most prosperous city in Canada....
and their firm did the masonry work on the
Lachine CanalThe Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine , Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
near Montreal, they then went on to build the locks on the lower section of the
Rideau CanalThe Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, between the
Rideau Riverthumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
and the
Ottawa RiverThe Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It defines for most of its length the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
at
BytownBytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital city.Located where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River, it took its name from John By who, as Colonel of the British Engineers, was instrumental in the construction of the canal. Bytown was incorporated in 1850 and, upon...
. McKay also built two stone spans for the Union Bridge, which was the first bridge across the Ottawa River between
Hull, QuebecHull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa...
and Bytown. The Commissariat building built by McKay in 1827 during the construction of the Rideau Canal now serves as home to the
Bytown MuseumThe Bytown Museum is a small museum in Ottawa located on the lower locks of the Rideau Canal at the Ottawa River just below Parliament Hill....
and is the oldest surviving stone building in the city of
OttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada and a municipality within the Province of Ontario. Located in the Ottawa Valley in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, the city lies on the southern banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway forming the local boundary between the Provinces of Ontario and...
.
McKay was one of the few business leaders to remain in Bytown after the canal project was finished. He bought land at the intersection of the
Rideau Riverthumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
and
Ottawa RiverThe Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It defines for most of its length the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
and laid out a town, which he named
New EdinburghNew Edinburgh is a small neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. It is located to the east of the downtown core. It is bordered on the west by the Rideau River, to the north by the Ottawa River, to the south by Beechwood Avenue, to the east the border is less regular but is marked in part by Springfield...
. McKay built a
sawmillA sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of 100 years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and a
gristmillA gristmill or grist mill is a building in which grain is ground into flour, or the grinding mechanism itself. In many countries these are referred to as corn mills or flour mills.- Early history :...
on land there. He encouraged
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
immigrants to come to the area and it became a prosperous industrial centre. He was an Elder and Trustee of
St. Andrew'sSt. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is the oldest Presbyterian church in Ottawa, Canada.-Creation:St. Andrews is Ottawa's oldest Presbyterian Church in Canada congregation, with the original church opening in 1828. The church was founded for, and built by, the Scottish and Irish labourers who were...
congregation of the
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, and partly responsible for the acquisition of
The GlebeThe Glebe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located just south of Ottawa's downtown area, with its northern border being demarcated by the Queensway highway. It is bounded by the Rideau Canal to the south and east. Many maps show the western edge as Bronson Avenue, but some also...
lands for St Andrew's. In 1840, he attempted to persuade the
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
Canada
SynodA synod is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application...
to erect their College in
BytownBytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital city.Located where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River, it took its name from John By who, as Colonel of the British Engineers, was instrumental in the construction of the canal. Bytown was incorporated in 1850 and, upon...
, but in 1841,
Queen's CollegeQueen's University, generally referred to simply as Queen's, is a coeducational, non-sectarian, research intensive, public university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. In 2008, Queen's maintained its status as one of the top universities in Canada.The Church of Scotland established Queen's...
was started in
Kingston, Canada WestKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, where Lake Ontario runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin.Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County...
.
Thomas McKay became quite wealthy and in 1837 he bought 1100 acres (4.5 km²) east of the village. On the western edge of this new land he built for himself a mansion which he named
Rideau HallRideau Hall is, since 1867, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, as well as that in Ottawa of the Canadian monarch.
It stands in the Canadian capital on a 0.36 km
2 estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main building consisting of 170...
, and which is today official residence of the
Governor General of CanadaThe Governor General of Canada is the viceregal representative in the federal jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, but resides predominantly in her oldest realm,...
. He also built
EarnscliffeEarnscliffe is a Victorian manor in Ottawa, Ontario. It is currently home of the British High Commissioner to Canada, and it was previously home to Canada's first Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. The manor overlooks the Ottawa River just east of the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge. It is located just to...
to house his daughter and son-in-law. The remainder of McKay's lands would later become the village of Rockcliffe Park. McKay also brought the first railroad to the Ottawa area with the Prescott and Bytown Railway that had its terminus at a station on
Sussex DriveSussex Drive is a major street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which is one of the city's major ceremonial and institutional routes....
on the northern edge of New Edinburgh.
McKay entered politics serving on Bytown's city council, and then the
Legislative Assembly of Upper CanadaThe Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house...
from 1834 to 1841. From 1841 until his death in 1855, he served on the
Legislative Council of the United Province of CanadaThe Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...
.
Thomas McKay was interred in the
Beechwood CemeteryBeechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is a 160 acre cemetery designated as a National Historic Site in 2001. A woodland cemetery founded in 1873, it is the largest cemetery in the city of Ottawa...
in Ottawa. In New Edinburgh, the MacKay United Church is named in his memory.