Moses Springer

Moses Springer (August 24, 1824 – September 5, 1898) was an Ontario businessman and political figure who became the first mayor of Waterloo, Ontario. He also represented Waterloo North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1881.

Springer was born August 24, 1824, to Benjamin Springer, originally from Poughkeepsie, and Mary Rykeman, in Doon in Upper Canada. One of 11 children, he was orphaned at the age of 10 when both parents died in 1834 during a cholera epidemic. He was later adopted and raised by Mennonite bishop Joseph B. Hagey. He worked as a farm hand, taught school and served as a provincial land surveyor in Woolwich Township.

In 1854, he moved to Waterloo where he became the owner and publisher of the German language newspaper Der Canadische Bauernfreund. His grand-daughter, Emma Ella Roos, was the first librarian at the Waterloo Public Library.

Electoral history