Molson, John National Historic Person
Montréal, Quebec
Portrait of John Molson
(© Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / C-115899)
Address :
Montréal, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2021-04-28
Life Date:
1763 to 1836
Other Name(s):
-
John Molson
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2020-03
Importance:
Montréal entrepreneur, landowner and politician in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription: Montréal, Quebec
The success of the brewery he founded in 1786 made John Molson one of Montréal’s leading entrepreneurs of the early 19th century. By introducing steam-powered machinery to his businesses, he paved the way for mechanized industry in Lower Canada. He helped to develop leading institutions, such as the Bank of Montreal and the Montreal General Hospital. Molson contributed to the transportation revolution by funding the construction of the first steamboat in Lower Canada, which launched in 1809, and British North America’s first railroad, which opened in 1836. These transportation advances were central to the colony’s progress.