Thomas Goldie

Thomas Goldie (July 9, 1850 – February 2, 1892) was a businessman, politician and early promoter of field sports in Ontario. A secretary for the Guelph Maple Leafs, he also served as mayor of Guelph from 1891 to 1892.

Biography

Early life Born in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of James Goldie and Frances Owen, Goldie moved to Guelph, Ontario with his parents in 1860 where his father established a successful milling business. His grandfather was John Goldie, a botanist originally from Ayrshire, Scotland who toured Upper Canada in the early nineteenth century and settled in Ayr, Ontario in 1844. Goldie received his education at McGill College, now McGill University, and Eastman's National Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Cited as one of the community's most popular nineteenth century mayors, Goldie was well known for his policies of modernization, as during his tenure Guelph hired its first civil engineer. On a more national-scale, he was conservative in his politics, and served as president of the Liberal-Conservative Association of South Wellington from 1888 to 1892.