J. P. Featherston

John Peter Featherston (November 28, 1830 – 1917) was the mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1874 to 1875.^[1]

Born in Durham, England, in 1830, he came to Canada in 1858. Upon settling in Ottawa, he opened a drug store. In 1867 he was elected to city council, and in 1879 was appointed clerk and registrar for the Carleton County court. He served as chairman of the board for the Ottawa Collegiate Institute, and ran unsuccessfully to represent the City of Ottawa in the federal parliament in an 1877 by-election. Featherston was a District Deputy Grand Master of the Freemasons.

Very little is known about Mr. Featherston, other than the fact that he was a Liberal politician, and that he wired Mr. Richard Scott (later Sir Richard William Scott, K.C., P.C.) in 1871 advising him to enter the Liberal Government. Later that year Mr. Scott became Speaker of the Legislature.

Family

Mrs Bessie Featherstone by William James Topley

In 1871 John Peter Featherston married Bessie Parnell, daughter of John Parnell, of County Wicklow, Ireland. She was born in Dublin, and accompanied her parents to Canada. She volunteered with the Carleton Protestant Hospital, the Maternity Hospital, the Lady Stanley Institute, and the Ottawa Humane Society. She served as President of the Ladies' Auxiliary for the Carleton Protestant Hospital. Her residence as Lady Mayoress was 452 Rideau Street, Ottawa.^[2]

References

• The Canadian biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men (1880)
• Mayors of major Canadian cities
• Sir Richard Scott, K. C.
• Why not O’Donoghue Street?

Mayors of Ottawa
Bytown (1847–55)	J. Scott J. B. Lewis Hervey Sparrow R. W. Scott Turgeon Friel
Ottawa (1855–2001)	J. B. Lewis McGillivray Workman Friel Dickinson Lyon Rochester Martineau Featherston Lyon-Fellowes Waller Bangs Mackintosh St. Jean Bate McDougal Stewart Erratt Birkett Durocher Cox Borthwick Bingham Payment Morris Davidson Cook J. Ellis Hastey D. Scott Champagne Hopewell Hinchey J. Ellis McVeity Porter Fisher Plant Watters Balharrie A. Ellis Allen Nolan J. E. S. Lewis Bourque Goodwin Whitton Nelms Reid Fogarty Benoit Greenberg Dewar Durrell Laviolette Holzman Watson Higdon
Ottawa (2001 amalgamation – present)	Chiarelli O'Brien Watson