James Miller Williams

James Miller Williams (1818 to 1890) was a Canadian-American businessman and politician, born in Camden, New Jersey, who is commonly viewed as the father of the petroleum industry in Canada. A carriage builder who settled in Ontario, he bought land in Enniskillen Township in 1856, and in 1858, while digging for water during a drought, struck oil in what is described as the first commercial oil well in North America. He distilled the oil into lamp fuel, moved refining to Hamilton, and organised the Canadian Oil Company, which sold kerosene abroad and has been called the first integrated oil company. His venture helped set off the first oil boom in North America. He was inducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame in 1997.