Name William Weichel Role Political figure | Died May 2, 1949 | |
Party Conservative Party of Canada | ||
William George "Billy" Weichel (July 20, 1870 – May 2, 1949) was an Ontario merchant and political figure. He represented Waterloo North in the Canadian House of Commons from 1911 to 1917 as a Conservative member and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1923 to 1929.
He was born in Elmira, Ontario, the son of Michael Weicher, who came to Canada from Germany, and Margaret Schmidt. Weichel was educated in Elmira and Berlin (later Kitchener). He worked eight years as a clerk in his father's hardware store before becoming a salesman for a saw manufacturer in Galt. In 1896, Weichel opened a hardware store with other members of his family in Waterloo, later becoming sole owner. Weichel was also director for several insurance companies. In 1898, he married Jessie Rose Kinsman. He defeated William Lyon Mackenzie King to win a seat in the federal parliament in 1911. Weichel was defeated in a bid for reelection to the federal seat as a Unionist candidate in 1917. Weichel served as mayor of Waterloo from 1922 to 1923. He was unsuccessful in the provincial elections of 1929 and 1934. He died in Kitchener at the age of 78.