James Rayside

James Rayside (April 1836 – November 1, 1895) was an Ontario, Canada, businessman and political figure. He represented Glengarry in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1882 to 1894 as a Liberal member.

James Rayside
Ontario MPP
In office 1882–1894
Preceded by	Donald Macmaster
Succeeded by	David Murdoch MacPherson
Constituency	Glengarry
Personal details
Born	April 1836 Montreal, Lower Canada
Died	November 1, 1895(1895-11-01) (aged 59) Martintown, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Margaret McDougall ​ (m. 1864)​
Occupation	Businessman

Biography

Rayside was born in Montreal in 1836, the son of Scottish immigrants, and was raised by his grandparents in Martintown, Upper Canada. He learned the trade of carpentry and became a millwright. He travelled to British Columbia in 1862 during the gold rush there. In 1864, he returned to Martintown, where he married Margaret McDougall. Rayside became involved in the lumber trade and owned a number of sawmills. He served as reeve of Charlottenburg Township. He was defeated by Donald Macmaster for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1878 but was elected in an 1882 by-election held after Macmaster ran for seat in the federal parliament. In 1880, he moved to Lancaster.

Electoral history

1879 Ontario general election: Glengarry
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Macmaster	1,331	50.78
	Liberal	James Rayside	1,290	49.22	+0.28
Total valid votes			2,621	74.31	+0.24
Eligible voters			3,527
	Conservative gain from Independent Liberal		Swing		−0.14
Source: Elections Ontario

External links

• The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1883 JA Gemmill
• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history
• A Cyclopæedia of Canadian biography : being chiefly men of the time ... GM Rose (1886)
• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry : a history, 1784-1945, JG Harkness (1946)