William Henry Cushing came to Calgary from Ontario in 1883. He opened a sash and door factory which develop0ed into one of the leading businesses in the province. He served six terms as alderman, beginning in 1890, and was mayor from 1899 to 1900. When Alberta became a province in 1905, Cushing was elected to the legislature as a Liberal member and appointed Minister of Public Works. He resigned that post in 1910 and became the first chairman of Mount Royal College's Board of Governors, a post which he retained until 1926 when he became honourary chairman. When Cushing died, his political, educational and philanthropic endeavours were remembered for Calgarian, as flags throughout the city flew at half-mast for a day.
