The Life and Times of Charles Wilson, Montreal’s 1st directly elected Mayor
Speaker: Joanne Burgess
When: Thursday May 15, 2025, 19:30 to 21:00
Where: Centennial Hall,
288 Beaconsfield Blvd, Beaconsfield, H9W 4A4
Lecture in English, followed by a bilingual question period
Charles Wilson (1808-1877) was a prominent Montreal businessman and politician, best known as the city’s mayor from 1851 to 1853. In 1852, he became the first mayor directly elected by those eligible to cast their votes. However, Wilson’s political success and popularity were short-lived. Governing Montreal during the 1850s was not an easy task and, in a city marked by intense ethnic and religious strife, Charles Wilson could not avoid becoming a polarizing figure.
This presentation examines the life of Charles Wilson, exploring his family origins, his business pursuits and, especially, his life in politics. Particular attention is paid to the brief period when he served as mayor of Montreal and to the challenges which the city faced in the early 1850s. This was an exceptionally rich and fascinating time in Montreal’s history, and our speaker is looking forward to sharing it with you.
Joanne Burgess is Professor Emeritus in the History Department of the Université du Québec à Montréal, where she taught until her retirement in 2023. Her area of expertise is the socio-economic and urban history of Québec and Canada. She is the director of the Laboratoire d’histoire et de patrimoine de Montréal, an academic and community-based research partnership which she founded in 2006. Her current research interests relate to the history of commercial activities and buildings in Old Montreal in the 19th century, as well as the history of food and provisioning in Montreal with a special focus on the baking industry. During her career, she has been active in both academic and applied research. She particularly enjoys working with museums and other community partners. Joanne Burgess was awarded the Acfas André-Laurendeau Prize in 2015 and was made a Knight of the Order of Montreal in 2017. She currently serves on the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
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