Background
He was born in Tibbermore, Perthshire, Scotland in 1890, the son of Robert Hay, and apprenticed as a cabinet-maker in Perth.
He was born in Tibbermore, Perthshire, Scotland in 1890, the son of Robert Hay, and apprenticed as a cabinet-maker in Perth.
He represented Toronto Centre in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal member from 1878 to 1887. By 1850, their company was the leading manufacturer of furniture in the country. They soon adopted the use of steam-powered machinery.
The company established a branch plant and sawmill in New Lowell in Simcoe County in 1854.
Hay helped establish the Toronto, Simcoe and Lake Huron Union Railway which passed through New Lowell. The company also produced other wooden items, such as clothespins, and supplied timber for railway construction.
Jacques retired from the business in 1870. The furniture business was dissolved in 1885.
He died in Toronto in 1890.