Luther Hamilton Holton

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Luther Hamilton Holton (January 22, 1817 – March 14, 1880) was a Canadian businessman and Liberal politician. He represented Châteauguay in the House of Commons from 1867 to 1880 and served in the Quebec Legislative Assembly for Montréal-Centre from 1871 to 1874. He also served as Minister of Finance, was a Governor of McGill University, and helped develop Canada’s railways.

Early life and career
Holton was born in Sheffield’s Corner, Upper Canada. After his father died in 1826, he moved to Montreal to live with his uncle. At 12 he started as a clerk, and seven years later joined the firm Henderson and Hooker, which moved people and goods along the St. Lawrence and around the Great Lakes. After Henderson died in 1845, Holton became a senior partner in Hooker and Holton. In 1842 he helped found the Unitarian Society of Montreal and in 1846 he joined the Montreal Board of Trade. He supported free trade with the United States and, for a time, annexation.

Railways and politics
In the 1850s Holton became involved in railways and played an important role in developing the Grand Trunk Railway. He served as a director of the Grand Trunk and, with Alexander Tilloch Galt, formed a firm to extend tracks from Toronto to Sarnia. Their government connections drew criticism. He was a member of Montreal’s city council from 1850 to 1851.

In 1854 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Montreal, where he supported an elected Legislative Council, secularization of clergy reserves, and ending seigneurial tenure. He left the Grand Trunk in 1857 to focus on politics but was defeated in the next election.

Confederation and later work
In 1862 Holton was elected to the Legislative Council for Victoria District. In 1863 he became minister of finance in the government of John Sandfield Macdonald and Antoine-Aimé Dorion; he ran for a seat in the House of Commons, was defeated in Montreal Centre, but won in Châteauguay. In 1864 he moved public accounts from the Bank of Upper Canada to the Bank of Montreal, a move linked to later problems at the Upper Canada Bank. He initially opposed Confederation but after 1867 helped promote its acceptance in Quebec. He also supported amnesty for Louis Riel and served as a Governor of McGill University from 1876 to 1880.

Death and family
Holton died in Ottawa in 1880 while still in office. His son Edward Holton later succeeded him as the representative for Châteauguay in the House of Commons.