Thomas Ambrose Milne Gorham worked as a public school teacher north of Toronto before apprenticing in a law firm. In February 1882, he was called to the bar, and later that same year, he moved to Winnipeg, where he was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) as a claims agent. Gorham established his own law firm in Port Arthur in 1885.
Gorham was elected Councillor in 1888. In the next year's Mayoral race, Gorham, an active Liberal, went head to head with a well-known local Conservative. Mud-slinging appears not to have hurt Gorham’s reputation, and he successfully gained the 1889 Mayoralty.
In September 1889, Gorham formally greeted the visiting Governor General Lord Stanley to Port Arthur. Also in that year, Gorham was involved in a dispute with the CPR. In December, Train 103 was seized due to unpaid taxes. These events resulted in poor relations with the CPR for many years to follow.
Gorham became the District Crown Attorney in October 1892, during a time of worsening depression. In the 1890s, Gorham also served as the Town Solicitor for Fort William. In November 1901, Gorham was granted the Judgeship of Halton County where he resided until his death in 1913.
Born: Nov. 2, 1855 near Sparta, Yarmouth Township, Elgin County, Ontario
Died: Oct. 4, 1913 in Milton, Halton County, Ontario at the age of 58
Councillor: 1888
Mayor: 1889
Previous Mayor: Mayor George Hugh Macdonell
Next Mayor: Mayor Aaron Squier
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