- William Pagan
William Pagan (1744 –
March 12 1819 ) was a Scottish-born merchant and political figure inNew Brunswick . He represented Saint John County in theLegislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1786 to 1816.He was born in
Glasgow , the son of William Pagan, a dealer in sugar, and Margaret Maxwell. By 1766, he was master of his own ship, involved in the sugar trade between theWest Indies and North America. Pagan established a business inNew York City and later joined his brothers Robert and Thomas, who were based inMassachusetts , in the business of trading timber for goods from Scotland and the West Indies. Later, the brothers settled east of thePenobscot River in what is now part ofMaine , expecting that this area would become part of a loyalist colony. In 1783, when it became clear where the border would be established, Pagan settled inSaint John, New Brunswick . He established a firm involved in trading goods with Britain and was also involved in shipbuilding. He also served on the town council for Saint John. During theWar of 1812 , Pagan was a partner in operatingprivateer ships. He helped found St. Andrew's Church in Saint John and served as the first president of the local Saint Andrew's Society. He was a member of the New Brunswick Council from 1817 until his death in Saint John two years later; as a member of theChurch of Scotland , Pagan was the first council member who did not belong to the Church of England.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2591 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=767 "History of New Brunswick", James Hannay (1909)]
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