Did you know... A Canadian Prime Minister frequented Dufferin County?

The formation of Dufferin County in 1881 required that a Court House, Gaol and Land Registry Office be constructed. This meant the county now required a Sheriff. Thomas Bowles, who was known to be active in politics, was offered the position by Premier Oliver Mowat, becoming the first Sheriff of Dufferin County. In 1890, Marmaduke Pearson became Minister of Orangeville Methodist Church, and this is where his son, Edwin, met Annie Bowles. They were married at First Avenue Church in 1892 and they would later have a son, Lester B. Pearson, who would grow up to be the Prime Minister of Canada (1963-1968). Rev. Pearson was a travelling minister, so Lester did not grow up in Orangeville, but he frequently visited his uncle, Dr. William Herbert Bowles, and grandfather in Orangeville. He was taught lacrosse during these visits. He continued to play lacrosse while he attended school at Oxford University, England. This resulted in him and his Oxford team having an exhibition trip to Orangeville. He continued to frequent the area well into his adulthood, and was here in 1953 when he presented at Orangeville High School as the President of the United General Assembly, as per request of his uncle. In his memoir, Lester B. Pearson states that seeing his grandfather in Orangeville evoked awe in him and inspired Pearson to pursue politics.