William Hamilton Merritt III (June 8, 1855 in St. Catharines, Canada West – October 26, 1918) was a Canadian soldier, author, and mining engineer.
[1] Confusingly, his father and cousin also shared his name; even though he is now known as William Hamilton Merritt III, during his life, he did not refer to himself as the third.
In 1882 he joined The Governor General's Body Guard, where he was promoted quickly through the ranks.
[2] Merritt was also president of the Canadian Defence League, which advocated universal military training.
As demand for coal grew, the company was eventually bought by the Canadian Pacific Railway.