Home > Casimir Gzowski

Gzowski was born in St. Petersburg to a noble Polish father who served with the Russian military.

He emigrated with his family to the United States after the Polish revolt against Russia in 1830. Trained as an engineer, he was involved in railway construction in the United States. Eventually he was hired as an engineer to help in the construction of the New York and Erie Railway.

In 1841 he moved to Canada to work on the Welland Canal, and also helped finish the building of Yonge Street in southern Ontario. In 1853Events January 19 Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore premieres in Rome January 21 Russell L. Hawes patents the envelope folding machine January 29 Napoleon III marries the Spanish Countess Eugenie at the Tuileries March 4 Inauguration of US president Fra he also helped build the Grand Trunk RailwayGrand Trunk Railway logo or herald The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a historic railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the U. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The GTR had two important subsidi. As president of the Toronto Turf Club, in 1859 he was a prime factor in the creation of the Queen's PlateThe Queen's Plate is North America's oldest thoroughbred horse race, run at a distance of 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-old thoroughbed horses, foaled in Canada, run annually in July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke ( Toronto), Ontario. It is the first race in t, the first organized thoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. As "thoroughbred" is an adjective that describes being fully-blooded descendants of a particular b horse race in North AmericaNorth America is the third largest continent in area and the fourth ranked in population. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocea. Sir Casimir was instrumental in organizing the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers. He was its president from 1889Events January-April January 8 Herman Hollerith receives a patent for his electric tabulating machine January 22 Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, DC. February 11 Meiji Constitution of Japan adopted; 1st Diet convenes in 1890 January 30 ? Crown - 1891Events January 1 ? Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany January 20 James Hogg becomes the first native Texan to be governor of that state. January 29 Liliuokalani proclaimed Queen of Hawaii March 9 ? 12 ? Powerful storm off England?s south coast;. He was also the first Commissioner of the Niagara Parks Commission .

He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1890, and briefly served as Lieutenant Governor before Oliver Mowat took office in 1897.

Casimir Gzowski was the great-grandfather of CBC radio personality Peter Gzowski.