William Southam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Southam in Canadian men of affairs in cartoon (1922)
William Southam in Canadian men of affairs in cartoon (1922)

William Southam (August 23, 1843 – February 27, 1932) was a Canadian newspaper publisher. [1]

Born in Montreal, Quebec, he began his newspaper career working for the London Free Press. The first newspaper he bought was the Hamilton Spectator. He would own the Ottawa Citizen, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Windsor Star and Montreal Gazette.

Robert Smiley, the founding publisher of The Hamilton Spectator, sold the newspaper to William Southam in 1877 as the first link in the Southam newspaper chain.[2]

His son was Gordon Hamilton Southam (1886-1916). A graduate of Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, Southam served as a Major in the Canadian Field Artillery, 8th Brigade, in the first World War. He was killed in France in October 1916 and is buried in Albert, France.[3][4]

[edit] Tribute

The Southam neighbourhood on the Hamilton, Ontario Mountain was named after him. It is bounded by the Niagara Escarpment (north), Fennell Avenue East (south), West 5th Street (west) and Upper James Street (east). Landmarks in this neighbourhood include the Glenwood Cemetery.

William married Lilias Ahearn, the daughter of inventor Thomas Ahearn of Ottawa.

Southam family memorial, Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario.
Southam family memorial, Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario.
Plaques affixed to base of the Southam family memorial.
Plaques affixed to base of the Southam family memorial.
Caen stone reredos installed in 1932 in Christ's Church Cathedral, Hamilton, Ontario, as a memorial to the Southam family. Carved by J. Whippel & Company of England.
Caen stone reredos installed in 1932 in Christ's Church Cathedral, Hamilton, Ontario, as a memorial to the Southam family. Carved by J. Whippel & Company of England.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bailey, Thomas Melville (1992). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol III, 1925-1939). W.L. Griffin Ltd. 
  2. ^ The Hamilton Spectator- Souvenir Edition page (Saturday June 10, 2006). "The Hamilton Memory Project;". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-29.
  3. ^ Military Attestation for Major Gordon H. Southam
  4. ^ Virtual Memorial record for Major Gordon H. Southam

[edit] External links

 This biography about a Canadian businessperson is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.