Background
He was born in Cavan Township, Upper Canada in 1836, the son of an Irish immigrant, John McLaughlin.
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Robert McLaughlin
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Career
He founded the McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Carolina companies which later became part of General Motors. He moved to Darlington Township with his family in 1837. In 1869, he set up a carriage works at Enniskillen, Ontario (Hamlet).
In 1877, he moved his business to Oshawa, feeling that moving to a larger urban centre with railway access was necessary for the growth of the business.
He established the Oshawa Carriage Works, later known as McLaughlin Carriage. McLaughlin served on the board of health and board of water commissioners at Oshawa and also served as mayor.
He was first president of the local Young Men’s Christian Association. After a fire in 1899, he relocated to Gananoque but returned to Oshawa the following year. McLaughlin supported tariffs restricting trade with the United States and opposed Sir Wilfrid Laurier"s free trade proposals in 1910-1911.
In 1915, he sold off his carriage manufacturing business.
In 1918, his companies were taken over by General Motors. McLaughlin died at Oshawa in 1921 of colon cancer.
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Born
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Died
November 23, 1921 (aged 85)