William Henry Kittson (1810-1882)

He grew up at Sorel, Lower Canada. He was a grandson of the merchant adventurer Alexander Henry and a brother of the railway baron Norman W. Kittson. He received a "limited education" at the grammar school in Sorel but was nonetheless bilingual in French and English and a talented chess player. He started his career in partnership with his brother-in-law, Norman Bethune, King's auctioneer at Montreal. In 1844, he was appointed Collector of Customs at Coburg and Secretary of the Coburg Harbour Company. In 1849, a probe by the new Inspector-General led to an inquiry but - seen as a witch hunt by power hungry Reformers - the press were steadfast in Kittson's defence: "The witnesses called by the prosecutor, without exception, spoke of Mr Kittson in the very highest terms. It is really too bad that a gentleman so amiable and kind-hearted, and withal so attentive to his important duties, as Mr Kittson, should be subject to such continued annoyance from the department to which he belongs. We hope this is the last we shall hear of such proceedings; if it be not, we shall expose the parties implicated, and show them up in their true colours". He resigned in 1850 and was promoted to Collector of Customs at Hamilton which in terms of Canadian trade was then only second in importance and value to Montreal. He was Vice-President of the Union Life Company and an honorary member of the Historical Society of Upper Canada.