Alexander Mackenzie

Alexander Mackenzie, 2nd prime minister of Canada 1873–78, stonemason, building contractor, author, insurance executive (born 28 January 1822 in Logierait, Scotland; died 17 April 1892 in Toronto, ON).

Early Life
Alexander Mackenzie was born in Scotland on 28 January 1822, one of 10 sons born to Alexander Mackenzie and Mary Stewart Fleming. His father was a carpenter who experienced periods of both prosperity and unemployment. When his father died in 1836 at age 52, his older sons went to work to support the family, including the younger Alexander, who apprenticed as a stonemason.

In 1842, having heard stories about ample work for stonemasons in British North America, Mackenzie immigrated to what was then Canada West. He embarked on a career as a general building contractor, working on canals and public construction projects in Kingston, St. Catharines and Montréal. Mackenzie was soon joined by his brother Hope, and later their mother and seven surviving brothers (three had died in infancy). The whole family settled in Sarnia, where Mackenzie became a successful builder and developer.

In 1845, Mackenzie married Helen Neil, whose family had also immigrated from Scotland. They had three children, two of whom died at a young age. Helen herself died in 1852. The following year Mackenzie married Jane Sym, with whom he had no children.