William John Sutton (19 January 1859 – 9 May 1914) was a timberman, geologist, mineralogist, assayer, surveyor, lecturer, explorer, pioneer and promoter of Vancouver Island, British Columbia and stood twice in B.C. elections.
Biography
Sutton was born in Kincardine, Canada West, and was the first of six children born to William Sutton (1828-1893) and Sarah Keyworth (1834-1905); his father emigrated from Dent, Cumbria in 1850 and his mother from Tuxford, Nottinghamshire in 1852. At the age of 33 years Sutton married Helen Annie Fox (1852-1932) who was born in Sheffield and ran the family cutlery store in Victoria. They did not have children.
Education
Sutton attended public schools in Kincardine and Walkerton followed by a year at Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario (1873-1874). He then went to Sibley College of Mechanical Arts, Cornell (1874-1876)] but dropped out after completing two years to take a short business course at Hamilton Business College before attending the Columbia School of Mines (1876-1877). In 1895 he took a special course in chemistry, mineralogy, petrography and geology, at the Michigan School of Mines, following which he became assistant teacher helping various professors in metallurgy, assaying, biology, zoology, palaeontology, mineralogy, crystallography, petrology, lithology and geology. Alongside his teaching he completed his degree with a 54-page thesis entitled Geology of Penokee-Gogebic Iron Bearing District in 1898 and was awarded an E.M. (Mining Engineer) degree.
Timberman
At the age of 18 years he set up an assaying business in Victoria, Vancouver Island but was forced to close it due to lack of interest and joined his father's lumber business. His father was the first to obtain a timber licence from the government for 7,070 acres of land at Cowichan Lake. He built a sawmill at Snug Creek, Mahoney's Bay (now Genoa Bay). William John, known to his family as Will, ran his father's lumber business for ten years whilst his father was sheriff of Bruce County, Ontario.
Political ambitions
Sutton stood in two elections for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. His first attempt was in 1887 after the death of Premier William Smithe when he stood for Cowichan but was narrowly beaten by Henry Fry. The second attempt was in 1894 when he stood for Cowichan and Alberni but was again narrowly defeated by Major J.M. Mutter.
Government assayer
After tragedy struck the Sutton family when his cousin Alfred was accidentally shot, the sawmill was closed down and Will was appointed Government Assayer (1887-1889). A report he submitted to the Minister of Mines in 1888 includes a list of 35 examples of economic minerals found in the Province. An article in The Colonist describes his work as Government Assayer. Will was forced to resign to sort out his father's lumber business but under his management the assay office "had been converted to a model of its kind." Shortly after leaving his post he facilitated the sale of the family lumber business.
Phrenology and grave robbing
William John and his brother James Edward, were both keen phrenologists (a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits) and had given several lectures in Victoria on the topic. In connection with phrenology they both began robbing the graves of First Nation people on Vancouver Island to sell the skulls to the American phrenology market. On hearing about their collection of 75 skulls Franz Boas, the 'father of American anthropology' bought the collection. Boas employed the Sutton brothers to collect more. Altogether the Sutton brothers provided Boas with about 200 skulls and skeletons. Boas used the skulls from the Northwest Coast to challenge the scientific idea of a 'pure race.' Franz Boas then sold the remains to Rudolph Virchow's Pathological Museum in Berlin and the Field Columbian Museum in Chicago.
Sutton Lumber and Trading Company
The Sutton Lumber and Trading Company Limited was incorporated in 1893 with $100,000 and William, William John and James Edward Sutton were the first trustees. They acquired 2,500 acres of timber land in the Clayoqout District and West Coast of Vancouver Island, some of which were Crown granted and some held under timber leases from the Crown. William John and James Edward were amongst the first white settlers in Ucluelet where they built the first general store and sawmill. The company was eventually sold to W. H. and A. F. McEwan of Seattle, the principals in the Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing Company. Sutton continued to own and manage the Ucluelet Mercantile Company Sawmill until his death.