Ezra Butler Eddy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ezra Butler Eddy
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| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Ottawa | |
| In office 1871–1875 |
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| Preceded by | Levi Ruggles Church |
| Succeeded by | Louis Duhamel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 22, 1827 Near Bristol, Vermont, United States |
| Died | February 10, 1906 (aged 78) Standish Hall, Hull, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Children | 3 (only one of whom survived infancy) |
Ezra Butler Eddy (born August 22, 1827 – died February 10, 1906) was an important Canadian businessman and political leader. He was born in Vermont, USA. Later, he moved to Canada. There, he started the E. B. Eddy Company. This company first made matches and wood products. It later grew to produce paper and pulp. Eddy also became a politician. He served as the mayor of Hull, Quebec and was a lawmaker in Quebec.
Contents
Ezra Butler Eddy: A Canadian Business Leader
Early Years and First Steps
Ezra Butler Eddy was born near Bristol, Vermont on August 22, 1827. His parents were Samuel Eddy and Clarissa Eastman. His family had Scottish roots. He was raised as a Baptist.
Ezra lived on a farm until he was about ten years old. During this time, he went to a local school. His father then moved to the village of Bristol and opened a hotel. Young Ezra helped him there. He also got to go to school for four more winters.
At age fifteen, Ezra decided he wanted a different life. He was very interested in business. He left home and went to New York City. He found a job in a store. He earned three dollars a week and had to pay for his own food. After three months, he got a promotion and earned ten dollars a week. Soon, he was trusted with handling the company's money. After a year, he decided city life was not for him. He went back to Vermont. He started his own business buying and selling butter and cheese in Boston and New York.
Building a Business Empire
In 1851, Eddy began making wooden matches by hand in Burlington, Vermont. In 1854, when he was only twenty-four, he moved his business to Hull, Canada East (now Gatineau, Quebec). He started making matches using leftover wood from nearby sawmills. With help from his first wife, he made the matches by hand at his home in Hull.
His business grew very quickly. It became one of the biggest match factories in the world. In 1856, he added other wooden products. These included pails, tubs, washboards, and clothes-pins.
From Matches to Paper
In 1858, he started a small lumber business. All these parts of his business grew each year. By 1868, his company was making one million dollars a year. Later, this grew to over $1,500,000 yearly. In 1882, a fire destroyed his entire factory. He lost $250,000, which was more than his insurance covered. But Ezra Eddy was determined and brave. Within twelve months, he built new factories. He was able to produce almost the same amount of goods as before.
By 1886, he had reorganized his company and officially started the E. B. Eddy Company. He built a new factory, bought rights to cut timber, and set up his own sawmill. At the same time, he began making pulp and paper.
A Leader in His Community
Ezra Eddy served as the Mayor of Hull for thirteen years at different times. He also represented the Ottawa area in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1871 to 1875. He was a member of the Hull city council from 1878 to 1888. He was mayor from 1881 to 1885, from 1887 to 1888, and again from 1891 to 1892. In 1875, he helped create the bill that made Hull a city. Besides running his factories, he also helped manage the Canada Central Railway Company.
Mayor of Hull
As mayor, Eddy played a key role in the development of Hull. He worked to improve the city for its residents. His leadership helped shape Hull during a time of great growth.
Facing Challenges: The Great Fires
On April 26, 1900, a huge fire known as the great fire swept through Hull and Ottawa. Eddy lost an estimated 3 million dollars in this fire. Even so, he managed to get his factories running again in less than a year. Fires had damaged his factories and home many times before. But Eddy always kept going. He was a smart and clever businessman. His success during this time of industrial growth was partly because he was also involved in politics.
Family Life and Legacy
Ezra Eddy was highly respected in Hull and across Canada. He helped start the Eddy Lodge, a local group of the A. F. & A. M. of the Grand Lodge of Quebec. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Zaida Diana Arnold on December 29, 1884, in Bristol, Vermont. They had three children: two sons and one daughter. Sadly, his sons, Rollin and Samuel, passed away when they were babies. But his daughter, Ella Clarissa, lived longer than him. Zaida died in 1893. He married his second wife, Jennie Grahl Shirreff, in Halifax on June 27, 1894. When he died, she became his main heir.
His Lasting Impact
Ezra Butler Eddy passed away at Standish Hall in Hull, Quebec, on February 10, 1906. His body was taken to Bristol, Vermont, where he was buried at the Bristol Board Cemetery. The E. B. Eddy Company was one of the biggest employers in the region for over a hundred years. Today, the pulp and paper part of the business is a division of Domtar. The Eddy Match Company is now a brand name of Atlas Matches, located in Euless, Texas.
In 1976, a special plaque was placed in Hull, Quebec, to honor Ezra Butler Eddy.
See also
In Spanish: Ezra Butler Eddy para niños
