A noted cabinet minister and jurist, David Mills was born in a house on the adjacent property, attended a local school, and studied law at the University of Michigan. Elected in 1867 to the Canadian parliament he sat as Liberal member for Bothwell until 1896, serving as minister of the interior, 1876-1878, in the Mackenzie administration, and minister of justice, 1897-1902, under Laurier. An expert in constitutional and international law, he wrote extensively on these subjects and lectured at the University of Toronto. In 1896 he was appointed to the Canadian Senate and in 1902 to the Supreme Court of Canada. He is buried in a nearby cemetery.