Sir William Mackenzie 1849-1923
Born near here, Mackenzie became a successful local merchant and contractor on Ontario railways. He built this house in 1888. After 1886, with associates, he obtained major construction contracts on numerous Canadian railways and by 1895 was one of Canada's leading railway builders and financiers. In 1899 Mackenzie and Donald Mann organized the Canadian Northern Railway, which later became a transcontinental system. Knighted in 1911, Mackenzie achieved international prominence through business directorates and electric railway and power development in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. His influence declined following the Northern's nationalization in 1917, and after much dispute his Ontario power companies were acquired by the province in 1920. He died in Toronto and was buried at Kirkfield.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.