John Watson
Inducted In
1972
At the age of eight, John Watson of Shotts, Scotland, was apprenticed to the moulding trade. He learned it well, for years later he won medals and international acclaim for his original productions.
In 1846, when a young man, he went to Galt, where he was associated with the Fisher and Lutz Foundry. In 1847 he started his own foundry in Ayr, making pots and stoves, but soon branched out into the manufacture of agricultural implements which he exhibited at world fairs and sold in the USA, France, Australia, and Russia.
A very active Liberal and a close friend of the famous Toronto editor, George Brown, he was the first reeve of Ayr and also served as County warden. He was a director of the Gore Mutual for 39 years.
The Company he started in Ayr in 1847 is, in 1972, still under the management of the Watson family.