Robert Ironside (1854-1910)

Cattle merchant, MLA (1892-1895).

Born at London, Canada West [Ontario], the son of William Ironside and Catherine Airth of Scotland. He was educated in the public schools of London.

He came to Manitoba about 1882 and settled in Manitou to sell farm implements. He formed a partnership with James Thomas Gordon. In 1886 the partnership was dissolved, with Ironside remaining in Manitou and Gordon going to Pilot Mound. Both continued in the same business. However, in a year or two they resumed their relationship. Business increased steadily and Ironside built the first elevator in Manitou, having a capacity of 40,000 bushels. They supplied the construction gangs and troops of the Riel Rebellion with beef imported from Ontario.

In 1890 Ironside and Gordon sent a large shipment of steers to Montreal, and they soon sent others to the United Kingdom. They admitted a third party and the firm became Gordon, Ironside and Fares. By 1891 the company was shipping lumber, grain and cattle to European and South African markets. Six years later the company was the largest livestock-exporting house in Canada, shipping 50,000 head of cattle to England in 1900 alone. They also had an abattoir in Winnipeg.

He married Annie Gordon of Carman, Manitoba, in 1899. They had two sons. He was elected Liberal MLA from Manitou in 1892. He withdrew from contesting the federal riding of Lisgar in 1896 rather than compete with his business partner, who was the Conservative candidate. He later moved to Montreal, where he died on 10 October 1910, but he always remained associated with Manitoba.

More information:

Winnipeg Ranchers: Gordon, Ironside and Fares
Manitoba History, Number 41, Spring/Summer 2001

Robert Ironside, Dictionary of Canadian Biography XIII, 498-99.

Sources:

Profile revised: 29 January 2010

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