Charles Somerville

Charles Ross Somerville (September 9, 1856 – March 28, 1931) was a manufacturer and politician in Ontario, Canada.^[1] He served as mayor of London from 1918 to 1919.

Charles Somerville
Mayor of London, Ontario
In office 1918–1919
Personal details
Born	Charles Ross Somerville (1856-09-09)September 9, 1856 Morton, Canada West
Died	March 28, 1931(1931-03-28) (aged 74) New York, New York
Spouses	May Maddocks ​ (died 1896)​ Christina Wilson ​ (m. 1891)​
Children	2
Occupation	Manufacturer, politician

Biography

The son of John Brown Somerville and Elizabeth McKinnon, he was born in Morton, Leeds County and was educated in Goderich. In 1888, he established himself in business in London as a manufacturer of paper boxes and confections. Somerville retired from business in 1909.^[2]

His first wife, May Maddocks, died in 1896. He remarried to Christina Wilson on July 1, 1891, and they had two sons.^[1][3][4]

Somerville served on the public school board and on the board of governors for the University of Western Ontario.^[2] He ran unsuccessfully for the London seat in the Canadian House of Commons in 1921 as a Liberal, losing to John Franklin White.^[5]

Somerville Limited was purchased in 1910 by J. K. and D. H. McDermid and expanded over time, with five plants in London(2), Walkerville, Strathroy and Neustad. In 1944, the company was taken over by W. Garfield Weston; four of the five plants were replaced by a larger facility in Crumlin, Ontario and seven additional plants were built by 1969.^[6] He died in New York City after an illness in 1931 and was buried in London.^[7]

v t e 1921 Canadian federal election: London
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Franklin White	9,730
	Liberal	Charles Somerville	7,974
	Progressive	Arthur Mould	4,252

References

1. "Chas R Sammerville". Canada Census, 1901.
2. London and its men of affairs. London Advertiser Job Printing Co. p. 16.
3. "Chas Ross Somerville". Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927, registration 140, , Huron, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1871077. familysearch.
4. Parker, Charles Whately; Greene, Barnet M., eds. (1922). Who's Who in Canada, Volume 16. International Press. pp. 1291–1292. Retrieved July 19, 2020 – via Google Books.
5. "London, Ontario (1867 - 1966)". History of Federal Ridings since 1867. Library of Parliament.
6. "Somerville Limited". Canadian Register of Commerce & Industry. University of Western Ontario. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014.
7. "Paper Trade Journal". April 1931.

External links

• "C. R. Somerville". University of Western Ontario. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014.