William Henry Comstock

William Henry Comstock
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Brockville
In office
1899–1900
Preceded byJohn Fisher Wood
Succeeded byDaniel Derbyshire
Personal details
Born(1830-08-01)August 1, 1830
Batavia, New York, USA
DiedMarch 9, 1919(1919-03-09) (aged 88)
Political partyLiberal

William Henry Comstock (August 1, 1830 – March 9, 1919) was an American/Canadian businessman and politician.[1]

Pharmaceutical Company

Born in Batavia, New York, Comstock was educated in Flushing, New York, and on leaving school started work as a clerk. He started his business in 1854, William H. Comstock Company, Ltd., which sold patent medicine including Dr. Morse's Indian Root Pills, Dead Shot Pellets and McKenzus Dead Shot Worm Candy.[2][3]

Political career

Comstock was a town councillor and mayor of Brockville, Ontario. He twice ran unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate for the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Brockville in the 1882 and 1887 elections, before being elected in an 1899 by-election resulting from the death of the sitting MP, John Fisher Wood.[4] He did not run in 1900.

Electoral record

1882 Canadian federal election: Brockville
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal–Conservative John Fisher Wood 1,277
Liberal William Henry Comstock 1,272
1887 Canadian federal election: Brockville
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal–Conservative John Fisher Wood 1,823
Liberal William Henry Comstock 1,534

On Mr. Wood's death, 14 March 1899:

By-election on 20 April 1899
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal COMSTOCK, W.H. 1,881
Conservative WHITE, Hon. Peter 1,673

References

  1. ^ Cochrane, William; Hopkins, J. Castell (John Castell) (1891). The Canadian Album: Men of Canada. Robarts - University of Toronto. Brantford, Ont. : Bradley, Garretson & Co.
  2. ^ Shaw, Robert B. "The Project Gutenberg: History of the Comstock Patent Medicine Business and Dr. Morse's Indian Root Pills". www.gutenberg.org.
  3. ^ William H. Comstock Company. "Collection: William H. Comstock Company, Limited papers | UR Archives & Special Collections". archives.lib.rochester.edu.
  4. ^ Parliament of Canada. "William Henry Comstock, M.P." lop.parl.ca. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.


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