Robert McKim (Ontario politician)

Robert McKim (c. 1828 – January 20, 1900) was an Ontario, Canada, farmer and political figure. He represented Wellington North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1872 and Wellington West from 1879 to 1886.

Robert McKim
Ontario MPP
In office 1871–1886
Preceded by	New riding
Succeeded by	Absalom Shade Allan
Constituency	Wellington West
In office 1867–1871
Preceded by	Riding established
Succeeded by	John McGowan
Constituency	Wellington North
Personal details
Born	c. 1828 Sligo, Ireland
Died	20 January 1900(1900-01-20) (aged 71) Guelph, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Margaret Shannon ​ (m. 1852)​
Occupation	Farmer

He was born and grew up in Sligo, Ireland. In 1852, he married Margaret Shannon. He was a justice of the peace and also served as reeve for Peel Township. McKim resigned his seat in the provincial legislature in 1874 to compete unsuccessfully in Wellington Centre for a seat in the federal parliament. He was defeated in the 1875 provincial election and reelected in 1878. In 1884, McKim turned over to the speaker of the house a large sum of money that he had been paid to vote against the government. He died in Guelph in 1900.^[1]

Electoral history

v t e 1867 Ontario general election: Wellington North
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Robert McKim	1,434	51.29
	Conservative	Mr. Beattie	1,362	48.71
Total valid votes			2,796	81.04
Eligible voters			3,450
	Liberal pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[2]

v t e 1871 Ontario general election: Wellington North
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert McKim	1,531	63.53	+12.24
	Conservative	Mr. Cross	879	36.47	−12.24
Turnout			2,410	59.40	−21.64
Eligible voters			4,057
	Liberal hold		Swing		+12.24
Source: Elections Ontario[3]

v t e 1875 Ontario general election: Wellington West
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	John McGowan	1,553	51.63
	Liberal	Robert McKim	1,455	48.37
Total valid votes			3,008	73.82
Eligible voters			4,075
Election voided
Source: Elections Ontario[4]

v t e Ontario provincial by-election, October 1875: Wellington West Previous election voided
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	John McGowan	1,238	50.57
	Liberal	Robert McKim	1,210	49.43
Total valid votes			2,448
	Conservative pickup new district.
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[5]: 403

References

1. "Robert McKim". Family Search.org.
2. "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
3. "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
4. "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
5. Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.

External links

• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history
• The Annals of the town of Guelph, 1827-1877
• The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1885 JA Gemmill
• Canada and its provinces. Volume 17, A Shortt, AG Doughtty (1914)