Career
Originally from Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland, Jardine emigrated to Canada in the 1830s. At the same time he was involved in a number of high-profile businesses and organizations in Saint John. In 1854 there was a cholera epidemic and he was president of the Saint John Water Company at the time.
He established a pure water system that earned him a civic commendation.
The system proved its worth for decades. Jardine was the chief commissioner of railways in New Brunswick from 1857 until 1865.