William Davidson (1740 – 1790), a Scot, was the first permanent European settler on the Miramichi River in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick, having arrived in 1767. He was a lumberman, and obtained extensive land grants, he and a partner sharing 100,000 acres (400 km²). Davidson served in the colony's House of Assembly.

During the American Revolutionary War, he was forced to leave the Miramichi, and resided near Fredericton, New Brunswick. When he returned after the war, his land grants were much reduced.

Among his activities was the building of ships which then transported his lumber to Britain. The ships were often sold there, the crews returning on another vessel.One of his brothers settled close to him. Thousands of people in the Miramichi and beyond are descendants of the Davidson brothers. This is his true legacy. He died on June, 17, 1790.

Davidson was complimented by a comtemporary for his "...genius and high abilities".

A large portrait of William Davidson felling trees on the Miramichi hangs on an internal staircase of the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. This is very appropriate as Davidson was a native of Banffshire, Scotland.

External links

• Biography at the Canadian Dictionary of Biography Online