Early life Born in
Paterson, New Jersey, the son of James Goldie and Frances Owen, Goldie moved to
Guelph, Ontario with his parents in 1860 where his father established a successful milling business. His grandfather was
John Goldie, a botanist originally from
Ayrshire, Scotland who toured
Upper Canada in the early nineteenth century and settled in
Ayr, Ontario in 1844. Goldie received his education at McGill College, now
McGill University, and
Eastman's National Business College in
Poughkeepsie, New York. Cited as one of the community's most popular nineteenth century mayors, Goldie was well known for his policies of modernization, as during his tenure Guelph hired its first civil engineer. On a more national-scale, he was conservative in his politics, and served as president of the
Liberal-Conservative Association of South Wellington from 1888 to 1892. == References ==