Roderick Cameron

Sir Roderick William Cameron (July 25, 1825 – October 19, 1900) was a Canadian and American businessman noted for co-founding the R. W. Cameron and Company shipping line in New York City, as well as for his role as an official representative of Canada and Australia at several international exhibitions during the 1870s and 1880s. Early life Cameron was born in Glengarry County, Upper Canada on July 25, 1825 to Duncan Cameron (c. 1764–1848), a prominent fur trader with the North West Company who represented Glengarry in the Upper Canadian House of Assembly during the 9th Parliament, and Margaret MacLeod. His paternal grandparents were Alexander Cameron and Margaret (née McDonell) Cameron. His father, along with his grandparents, immigrated to Tryon County, New York in 1773. In 1785, following the Revolutionary War, the Loyalist Camerons moved to Williamstown, Ontario in Canada. He was tutored in Williamstown by Dr. John Rae and later at the district school at Kingston.