Saunders, William National Historic Person
London, Ontario
William Saunders, 1897
(© William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-140405)
Address :
London, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1952-05-27
Life Date:
1836 to 1914
Other Name(s):
-
William Saunders
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Expert in scientific agriculture, director of the Experimental farms branch of Department of Agriculture
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription:
Born in England, William Saunders came to Canada in 1848 and became a pharmacist. A recognized expert in scientific agriculture, he was appointed director of the new Experimental Farms Branch of the federal Department of Agriculture in 1886. There, he created many promising varieties of fruit and grain, and began the research which led to the development of Marquis wheat by his son, Charles. Co-founder of the Royal Society of Canada and president in 1906–1907, Saunders was a distinguished member of numerous learned societies and author of many ground-breaking articles, papers, and reports. He lived here.