View source for Thomas McKay

{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox architect
| name = Thomas McKay
| image = Thomas McKay portrait 1868 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Reproduction of a McKay portrait
| nationality = [[Canadians|Canadian]]
| birth_date = 1 September 1792
| birth_place = [[Perth, Scotland]]
| death_date = 9 October 1855
| death_place = 
| alma_mater = 
| practice = 
| significant_buildings = 
| significant_projects = 
| significant_design = 
| awards = 
}}
'''Thomas McKay'''{{efn|He spelt his surname "McKay" but places named in his honour frequently use "MacKay", or "Mackay" instead.}} (1 September 1792 – 9 October 1855) was a Canadian businessman who was one of the founders of the city of [[Ottawa]], Ontario.

== Biography ==
McKay was born in [[Perth, Scotland]] and became a skilled [[stonemason]].  He emigrated to [[the Canadas]] in 1817, and settled in [[Montreal]].

He became partners with [[John Redpath]] and their firm did the masonry work on the [[Lachine Canal]] near Montreal, they then went on to build the [[canal lock|locks]] on the lower section of the [[Rideau Canal]], between the [[Rideau River]] and the [[Ottawa River]] at [[Bytown]].  McKay also built two stone spans for the Union Bridge, which was the first bridge across the Ottawa River between [[Hull, Quebec]] and Bytown.  The Commissariat building built by McKay in 1827 during the construction of the Rideau Canal now serves as home to the [[Bytown Museum]] and is the oldest surviving stone building in the city of [[Ottawa]].

McKay was one of the few business leaders to remain in Bytown after the canal project was finished.  He bought land at the intersection of the [[Rideau River]] and [[Ottawa River]] and laid out a town, which he named [[New Edinburgh]].  McKay built a [[sawmill]] and a [[gristmill]] on land there.  He encouraged [[Scotland|Scottish]] immigrants to come to the area and it became a prosperous industrial centre.  He was an Elder and Trustee of [[St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Ottawa)|St. Andrew's]] congregation of the [[Church of Scotland]], and partly responsible for the acquisition of [[The Glebe]] lands for St Andrew's. He was also a founding trustee of [[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's College]].

Thomas McKay became quite wealthy and in 1837 he bought 1100 acres (4.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) east of the village.  On the western edge of this new land he built in 1838 for himself a limestone [[Scottish Regency]] mansion which he named [[Rideau Hall]], and which is today official residence of the [[Governor General of Canada]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates |last=Pound |first=Richard W. |publisher=Fitzhenry and Whiteside |year=2005}}</ref> He also built [[Earnscliffe]] to house his daughter and son-in-law.  The remainder of McKay's lands later became the village of [[Rockcliffe Park]].  McKay also brought the first railroad to the Ottawa area with the [[Prescott and Bytown Railway]] that had its terminus at a station near [[Sussex Drive]] just south of New Edinburgh.

McKay entered politics serving on Bytown's city council, and then the [[Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada]] from 1834 to 1841.  From 1841 until his death in 1855, he served on the [[Legislative Council of the Province of Canada|Legislative Council of the United Province of Canada]].

Thomas McKay was interred in the [[Beechwood Cemetery]] in Ottawa.  In New Edinburgh, the [[MacKay United Church (Ottawa)|MacKay United Church]] is named in his memory.

==Elections==
{{1874 Canadian federal election/Colchester}}

{{CanElec1-by|17 December 1874|On Mr. McKay being un-seated on petition, 14 November 1874}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal-Conservative|Thomas McKay|1,818}}
{{CANelec|XX|Unknown|Alex C. Page|951}}
{{end}}
{{1878 Canadian federal election/Colchester}}

== Works ==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- style="background:lightblue;"
!width=28%|Building
!width=8%|Year completed
!width=13%|Builder
!width=10%|Style
!width=12%|Source
!width=32%|Location
!width=7%|Image
|-
| McKay and McKinnon cloth mill
|
| Thomas McKay
|
| [[Library and Archives Canada]], C-003853
| Rideau Falls near [[Ottawa]], Ontario
| [[File:ThomasMckayMills23.jpg|100px]]
|-
| Stone House currently the [[Bytown Museum]]
| 1827
| Thomas McKay
|
|
| [[Ottawa]], Ontario
| [[File:Bytown Museum, 2011.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Rideau Hall]]
| 1838
| Thomas McKay
| Scottish Regency
|
| [[Ottawa]], Ontario
| [[File:Rideau Hall in 1916.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Earnscliffe]]
| 1855
| Thomas McKay
| Scottish Regency
|
| [[Ottawa]], Ontario
| [[File:Earnscliffe.JPG|100px]]
|}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Commons}}
*[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=4072 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Thomas}}
[[Category:1792 births]]
[[Category:1855 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Canadian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Settlers of the National Capital Region (Canada)]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada]]
[[Category:People from Perth, Scotland]]
[[Category:Elders of the Church of Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Burials at Beechwood Cemetery (Ottawa)]]