Henry Corby
Henry Corby (1806 – October 25, 1881) was an Ontario businessman and politician who had immigrated to Upper Canada in 1832 with his wife. After building businesses in Belleville, Ontario, he represented Hastings East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative from 1867 to 1874.
Henry Corby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1867–1874 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Stephen Appleby |
| Constituency | Hastings East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1806 Hanwell, England |
| Died | October 25, 1881 (aged 75) Belleville, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Occupation | Merchant |
Early life and education
Corby was born in Hanwell, England in 1806 and apprenticed to a baker in London. In 1832 he married Alma Williams and immigrated to Belleville in Upper Canada that year. He opened a general store and bakery there; he secured a contract to supply the local militia. In 1838, he became involved in shipping goods between Belleville and Kingston, and selling grain.
He and his wife had at least one surviving child, a son Henry Corby Jr. born in 1851.
Corby served for a number of years on the Belleville village council and continued to be politically active as a Conservative. In 1855, he purchased a gristmill and opened a distillery in 1859. This became highly successful.
He was elected and served as mayor of Belleville in 1867 and 1868. He helped promote the development of railways in the area, which were a catalyst to increasing trade and residents.
He retired from politics in 1875 due to declining health. He died in Belleville in 1881.
Legacy and honours
The town where the family's distillery was located was renamed as Corbyville in 1882, in his honour.
His son, Henry Jr., helped expand the family distillery, later known as the H. Corby Distillery. It is now part of Corby Distilleries. The son followed his father into politics, representing Hastings West as a Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada and Belleville as a member of the Senate of Canada.