David Murdoch McPherson
David Murdoch "D.M." McPherson (November 17, 1847 – February 4, 1915) was a Canadian farmer, manufacturer and political figure. He represented Glengarry in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal-Patrons of Industry member from 1894 to 1898. His surname also appears as Macpherson in some sources.
He was born in Lancaster Township, Canada West, the son of John McPherson, and educated there. He inherited the family farm which produced milk and cheese. He became a major cheese producer, owning a large group of factories known as the Allan Grove Combination, with factories in Ontario, Quebec and upper New York state. He also manufactured cheese boxes at Lancaster and Alexandria, where he partnered with Jacob Thomas Schell, and had patented a steel cheese box hoop. McPherson invented several mechanical devices for use in cheese making. In 1871, he married Margaret McBean. McPherson was commonly known as the "Cheese King". He was a commissioner to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition of 1886 in London, England. McPherson served as president of the Dairymen’s Association of Eastern Ontario in 1887 and became the first president of the Dairymen’s Association of the Dominion of Canada in 1890. He was also president of the Dominion Cold Storage Company. He was defeated for the provincial seat in 1898 by Donald Robert McDonald.
He died in Montreal in 1915.
External links
- The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1897 JA Gemmill
- Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- Main Street Glengarry County, 1905 - 2005 (pdf)
- Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry : a history, 1784-1945, JG Harkness (1946)
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online