Thomas Cantley | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Thomas Cantley

Thomas Cantley, businessman, politician (b at New Glasgow, NS 19 Apr 1857; d there 24 Feb 1945). Entering the iron-forging business as a youth when his province was rapidly industrializing, Cantley rose quickly and helped develop a modern steel complex in Pictou County.

Thomas Cantley

Thomas Cantley, businessman, politician (b at New Glasgow, NS 19 Apr 1857; d there 24 Feb 1945). Entering the iron-forging business as a youth when his province was rapidly industrializing, Cantley rose quickly and helped develop a modern steel complex in Pictou County. By 1915 he was president of the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Corp and a member of the government's Shell Committee, which administered munitions contracts. His firm was the first in Canada to develop steel suitable for shell manufacture, a major contribution. He later served overseas and in 1925 was elected to the House of Commons for Pictou as a Conservative, remaining there until his appointment to the Senate in 1935.