Daniel Webster Marsh

Daniel Webster Marsh (August 15, 1838 – June 27, 1916) was a businessman and mayor of Calgary, Alberta. He was born in Hudson, New Hampshire to parents Enoch Sawyer March and Margaret Whittier.

Marsh was educated in Nashua, New Hampshire, which was where he started his working life. As a young man, he served with the 30th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and was a part of the Dakota Territory Indian campaigns.

By 1876, Marsh was managing a small general store in Fort Benton, Montana. At this time Marsh joined the Fort Benton firm T. C. Power and Bro and moved to Fort Walsh (in Saskatchewan) to manage their store from 1876 to 1883. As the Canadian Pacific Railway moved west, Marsh saw the opportunity to open up new stores for T. C. Power and Bro. He opened up their stores in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan in 1883 and Calgary in 1884. From 1884 to 1893 he managed the store in Calgary, while is nephew, Horace A. Greeley managed the store in Maple Creek.

In Calgary, Marsh became an important moneylender soon after his arrival in Calgary. In 1887, he married Julia Shurtliff (née Wood), the widow of former North-West Mounted Police superintendent Albert Shurtliff. They had one daughter. Power and Brother sold Marsh the Calgary store in 1893, which he operated until 1901.

Marsh served one term as mayor of the town of Calgary, from January 21, 1889, to January 20, 1890.

Upon his death in Calgary, his estate was appraised at $351,000. The majority of his estate was left to his widow Julia who died two years later.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Southern Alberta Pioneers