THE HEART OF THE CITY
CHARLES MAGILL
93 King Street East
Charles Magill was born in Ireland on
March 1, 1816. Magill settled briefly in Toronto before moving to Hamilton where he worked
in the store belonging to Isaac Buchanan. In 1853, he opened his own business where he
sold dry goods and carpets. The store is listed in the City Directories from 1853 to 1872.
Magill’s store was located at 76 King Street East.
In 1852 he was elected as alderman for the St. Lawrence Ward and served for a period of
four years. In 1854, during the last great cholera epidemic in Hamilton, Magill served as
both Chairman of the Board of Health and Mayor of the City. He served five more terms as
mayor in 1855, 1865, 1866, 1882 and 1883. Up to that time, he was the longest serving
mayor and the first to serve more than a single term. Magill was elected as the Liberal
Representative for Hamilton in 1866 and was subsequently re-elected.
