William Barclay McMurrich (November 1, 1842 – February 9, 1939) was a 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...

 lawyer and politician. He was the mayor of Toronto from 1881 to 1882.

Born in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, the son of John McMurrich

John McMurrich

John McMurrich was a businessman and political figure in Canada West and later Ontario.He was born near Paisley, Scotland in 1804 and came to Upper Canada in 1833 to work in a York dry goods business affiliated with a Glasgow-based firm. He became a partner in 1837. McMurrich served on Toronto...

 and Janet Dixon, McMurrich was educated at Knox Academy and Upper Canada College

Upper Canada College

Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...

. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1863 and a Master of Arts degree in 1864 from the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

. He then studied law and was called to the Bar in 1866. He was a practicing lawyer.

In 1868, he was elected a public school trustee for the St. Andrew's ward and served in this position for eight years. In 1879, he was elected to the Toronto City Council

Toronto City Council

The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....

 for the St. Patrick's ward. In 1881, he was elected mayor of Toronto and re-elected in 1882. He did not run in 1883 instead was a candidate for the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 in the riding of West Toronto

West Toronto

West Toronto was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the City of Toronto, in the province of Ontario. The district was created by the British North America Act of 1867 and was renamed Toronto West in 1903.West Toronto was...

 in the 1882 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1882

The Canadian federal election of 1882 was held on June 20, 1882 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Canada.Prime Minister Sir John A...

. He lost to James Beaty, Jr.

James Beaty, Jr.

James Beaty Q.C. was a mayor of Toronto from 1879 to 1880. He was then a Member of Canada's Parliament from 1880 to 1887....

He died in 1939 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto

Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...

.