Stephen Nairn
| Stephen Nairn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1838-08-14 Kelvinside, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 1900-10-14 Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Occupation | Miller; grain merchant |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
Stephen Nairn (14 August 1838 – 14 October 1900 (aged 62)) was a Scottish-born miller and grain merchant who became a prominent figure in Winnipeg's early grain trade and civic life.[1]
Early life and emigration
Nairn was born on 14 August 1838 in Kelvinside, Glasgow, the son of John Nairn and Margaret Kirkland. Before emigrating, he operated a mill in Scotland in partnership with his brother James. In 1863 he left for Upper Canada and joined his eldest brother Alexander, who had already settled at Rockwood, where the two engaged in the grain and milling trade together.[1]
Career
Around 1875, Stephen and Alexander established A. and S. Nairn in Toronto, carrying on business as wharfingers and coal merchants. The partnership dissolved in 1884, after which Stephen relocated to Winnipeg, where he constructed what was described as the first oatmeal mill in the city. His facility was built in Point Douglas in the vicinity of the Ogilvie Milling Company plant and was capable of producing oatmeal, rolled oats, barley, and breakfast foods.[1]
Nairn became deeply involved in Winnipeg's emerging grain industry. He served on the council of the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange from its formation in 1887 and was elected president of that body in 1896. Within the Winnipeg Board of Trade, he served as president in 1891, chairman of the grain examiners board from 1888 to 1889, and chairman of the flour and meal examiners board from 1889 until his death.[1][2]
In 1888, during his term as chairman of the grain examiners board, Nairn was instrumental in establishing western standards for Manitoba wheat, a reform that addressed the longstanding problem of standards being set by eastern interests rather than by those with direct knowledge of prairie grain.[1] In 1896 he attended the third Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire in London as a representative of Winnipeg, where he joined Sir Donald Alexander Smith and others in advocating emigration from the British Isles.[1]
By May 1898, Nairn's milling operation had become commercially unviable due to tariff disadvantages — the duty on oats was estimated at one hundred per cent higher than on imported meal — and he sold his mill to the Ogilvie Milling Company. He continued as a grain merchant and remained a member of the Winnipeg Grain and Produce Exchange until his death.[1][3][4]
Personal life and civic involvement
On 9 November 1881, Nairn married Elizabeth Watt; they had two children.[1] He was a prominent figure in Winnipeg's public institutions: he served as chairman of the board of Knox Presbyterian Church from 1890 to 1892, as a director of the Winnipeg General Hospital board from 1889 until his death, and as a commissioner of the Winnipeg Parks Board. He was also a director of the Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition Association and a member of the Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba.[1]
Death
Nairn died on 14 October 1900 in Winnipeg.[1][4]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Charles W. Anderson."Charles W. Anderson, "NAIRN, STEPHEN," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1990.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ "Winnipeg Board of Trade, Annual reports, 1880–1900."[record].Provincial Archives of Manitoba, MG 10, A2.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ ""Nairn mill sale"."[newspaper].Commercial.1898-04-16.Winnipeg, 16 April 1898.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Reports on Nairn mill and death."[newspaper].Manitoba Morning Free Press.18 April 1898; 26 May 1898; 18 October 1900.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)