View source for John Carling

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{for|the novelist or those with a similar name|John R. Carling|John Carlin (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name             = Sir John Carling
| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|size=100%|PC|KCMG}}
| image            = JohnCarling23.jpg
| imagesize        = 
| office           = [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] for Ontario  
| term_start       = 1896
| term_end         = 1911
| appointed        = [[Mackenzie Bowell]]
| constituency_MP1 = [[London (federal electoral district)|London]]
| parliament1      = Canadian
| predecessor1     = ''Riding established''
| successor1       = John Walker
| term_start1      = 1867
| term_end1        = 1874
| predecessor2     = James Harshaw Fraser
| successor2       = [[C. S. Hyman|Charles S. Hyman]]
| term_start2      = 1878
| term_end2        = 1891
| predecessor3     = Charles S. Hyman
| successor3       = [[Thomas Beattie (politician)|Thomas Beattie]]
| term_start3      = 1892
| term_end3        = 1896
| assembly4        = Ontario Legislative
| constituency_AM4 = [[London (provincial electoral district)|London]]
| term_start4      = 1867
| term_end4        = 1872
| predecessor4     = ''Riding established''
| successor4       = [[William Ralph Meredith]]
| cabinet          = Postmaster General (May 23, 1882 – September 24, 1885 and July 11, 1888 – August 5, 1888)<br /> Minister of Agriculture (September 25, 1885 June 6, 1891 and June 16, 1891 November 24, 1892)
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1828|01|23|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[London, Ontario|London]], [[Upper Canada]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1911|11|06|1828|01|23|df=y}}
| death_place      = London, Ontario, Canada
| nationality      = Canadian
| spouse           = Hannah Dalton (m. 1849)
| party            = [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]]
| otherparty       = [[Liberal-Conservative Party|Liberal-Conservative]] <br /> [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Conservative]] (Ontario)
| relatives        = [[Thomas Carling]] (father) <br /> William Carling (brother)
| children         = 4 sons and 4 daughters
| residence        = London, Ontario
| occupation       = Businessman
}}
'''Sir John Carling''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|KCMG}} (January 23, 1828 &ndash; November 6, 1911)<ref>{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=3125|nolist=yes}}</ref> was a Canadian politician and prominent businessman who was associated with the [[Carling Brewery]] in [[London, Ontario]]. The Carling family and its descendants later resided in [[Ottawa]], [[Montreal]], [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], [[Brockville]], [[London, Ontario|London]], [[Toronto]] and [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] in Canada, as well as [[Jersey]]
in the [[Channel Islands]].

==Life and career==
John Carling was the son of farmer Thomas Carling, who emigrated from [[Etton, East Riding of Yorkshire|Etton]] in [[Yorkshire]], England. Arriving to [[Upper Canada]] in 1818, the family moved to London in 1839, where Thomas founded the Carling Brewery in 1843 using a recipe from his native Yorkshire. In 1849, the brewery was turned over to John and his brother William.

His political career began at the municipal level of government, in London, Ontario; then in 1858, he was elected to the [[Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada]], representing London. Re-elected to the same constituency in 1862, he briefly served in [[John A. Macdonald|John A. Macdonald's]] Cabinet as Receiver General, before the government fell.

After [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] in 1867, Carling represented London in both provincial and federal legislatures until such practice was made illegal in 1872. In the [[1871 Ontario general election|1871 provincial election]], he defeated former London mayor [[Francis Evans Cornish]].

From 1878 to 1891, he served in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] as a [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] (MP), holding the position of 7th [[Postmaster General of Canada|Postmaster General]] from 1882 to 1885, and [[Minister of Agriculture (Canada)|Minister of Agriculture]] from 1885 to 1891.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Albert Tucker|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-john-carling|title=Sir John Carling|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=August 25, 2019}}
</ref> In this position, he established the [[Ontario Agricultural College]] and the [[Central Experimental Farm]] near [[Ottawa]]. In 1888, he simultaneously held the position of Postmaster General for a second time, briefly.

After losing the [[1891 Canadian federal election|1891 election]] to [[C. S. Hyman|Charles S. Hyman]], he was appointed to the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] by [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[John A. Macdonald]]. However, the election was disputed and declared void, thus Carling resigned from the Senate in order to run in a by-election in 1892, which he won. He served in the House of Commons until just before the [[1896 Canadian federal election|1896 election]], when he resigned and was re-appointed to the Senate.

Meanwhile, Carling remained active in London affairs, using his position in the federal government to influence politics and business. In 1875, Carling and his brother William built a new Carling Brewery, and an even larger one was built after the first burned down in 1879. The brewery was one of the largest in Canada, and it rivaled the production of fellow London brewery [[Labatt]].

Carling also ensured that the Great Western Railway, the London and Port Stanley Railway, and the London, Huron and Bruce Railway passed through London. Due to his influence, the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] began to manufacture their cars in London.

In 1878, he established a water commission to provide a water supply to the city. Carling also established the Ontario Hospital for the Insane in London. In 1885, he provided the land on which [[Wolseley Barracks]] was established, now the Home Station of [[The Royal Canadian Regiment]] and the garrison of the regiment's 4th Battalion. He also facilitated the establishment of [[Victoria Park (London)|Victoria Park]].

Carling was knighted in 1893 and served in the Senate until his death in 1911. He was buried in London's Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

==Legacy==
In 1927, the [[Carling Brewery]] sponsored a trans-Atlantic flight from London (Canada) to [[London]] ([[United Kingdom|UK]]). The plane was named the ''Sir John Carling,'' but both it and its pilots, Terence Tully and James Medcalf, disappeared over the [[Atlantic Ocean]].

Today, there is an arena in London named for him. The town of [[Port Carling, Ontario]], is named in his honour, as are the agricultural buildings in Ottawa. [[Carling Avenue]] in Ottawa is named for him as well, as are the neighbourhoods of Carlington and Carlingwood.

== Archives ==
There is a John Carling [[fonds]] at [[Library and Archives Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Carling fonds, Library and Archives Canada| date=25 November 2016 |url=http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=103139&lang=eng}}</ref>

== Electoral record ==
=== Provincial ===
{{1867 Ontario general election/London}}
{{1871 Ontario general election/London}}

=== Federal ===
{{1867 Canadian federal election/London}}
{{1872 Canadian federal election/London}}
{{1874 Canadian federal election/London}}
{{1882 Canadian federal election/London}}
{{1887 Canadian federal election/London}}
{{1891 Canadian federal election/London}}
{{CanElec1-by|26 February 1892|Election annulled}} 
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal-Conservative|John Carling|&nbsp;}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|[[C. S. Hyman]]|&nbsp;}}
{{end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{DictCanbio|ID=7271}}
*{{Ontario MPP biography|id=john-carling}}
*[https://openplaques.org/plaques/51470 Thomas Carling commemorative plaque] – recorded on openplaques.org

{{CA-Postmasters General}}
{{CA-Ministers of Agriculture}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carling, John}}
[[Category:1828 births]]
[[Category:1911 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from London, Ontario]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Canadian Methodists]]
[[Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs]]
[[Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators]]
[[Category:Canadian senators from Ontario]]
[[Category:Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:London, Ontario city councillors]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West]]
[[Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
[[Category:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)]]
[[Category:19th-century Canadian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs]]
[[Category:Postmasters general of Canada]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Senate of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Senate of Canada]]