William Gilbert Gosling

William Gilbert Gosling (September 8, 1863 – November 5, 1930) was a politician, businessman and author. From 1916 to 1920, he served as the mayor of St. John's, Newfoundland.

Early life William Gilbert Gosling was born in Paget Parish, Bermuda to Charles Gray Gosling and Elizabeth Gilbert. The second of their six sons, Gosling attended Pembroke Grammar School in Hamilton, Bermuda. On June 22, 1881, he moved to St. John's, Newfoundland (now a province of Canada) to work as a clerk for the fish exporting firm Harvey and Company. Taking charge of the wholesale side of the business, Gosling was described as having a "marked aptitude" for the job.

Shortly after arriving in Newfoundland, Gosling met his future wife Armine, the headmistress of the Church of England Girls' School in St. John's. In his spare time, Gosling became invested in reading, and in 1899 published his first literary work, an article about the William Shakespeare work The Tempest in the London periodical Literature. The nine guineas earned for the publication of his piece were reinvested in his ever-growing collection of books.

In June 1916, a local election was held, and the electors of St. John's returned Gosling as their mayor. In 1920, another appointed commission replaced the elected council, governing the city until the revised town charter became law. Gosling's health deteriorated due to the stress of public life, and in 1921 declined to stand for re-election to the mayoralty.

Later life In September 1927, William Gosling and his wife Armine returned to Bermuda, where he died three years later at the age of 67. His wife later donated his large collection of books to the people of St. John's to form the town's first public library, the Gosling Memorial Library.