William Harrison was a harness and saddle maker who served as the second reeve of Richmond Hill, Ontario

Richmond Hill, Ontario

Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...

, in 1874. He was the community's first historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

.

Born in Bath, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, his family moved to a farm north of Richmond Hill in 1843. After the death of his father a mere nine months after the family arrived in Canada, the family moved into the Richmond Hill community. Harrison opened a saddle and harness maker's shop in Richmond Hill in 1856. In Richmond Hill, Harrison took an active role in society. He was involved in organising the community's first fire brigade. He was a founding member of the Richmond Hill Mechanics' Institute and Literary Society. Harrison closed his shop in 1908.

Harrison was elected reeve of the village of Richmond Hill in 1874. He served on the Richmond Hill Village Council only a single year, and was replaced in 1875 by William Trench.