Editing Robert Simpson (merchant) (section)

==Life==

He was born in [[Strathspey, Scotland|Strathspey]], Moray, Scotland in 1834 to Peter Simpson and Jane Christie Parmouth. His father was a general store owner, and Simpson was trained in the [[draper|drapery trade]] in [[Elgin, Moray]] before immigrating to [[Newmarket, Ontario|Newmarket]], Province of Canada, at the age of 21 where he worked at his uncle's dry goods store. Before long, Simpson started up his own store in [[Newmarket, Ontario]] as the [[Simpson & Trent Groceries, Boots, Shoes and Dry Goods]] (1858–1870) and later as the [[Robert Simpson Company]] from 1870 to 1871. Simpson and his family relocated to Toronto in 1871 and in 1872 he opened a pioneer department store in Toronto that eventually expanded into the major national chain, [[Simpsons (department store)|Simpson's]].

For decades, Simpson's store was in a rivalry with fellow retailer [[Timothy Eaton]] on [[Yonge Street]].

Simpson married Mary Anne Botsford and had one daughter, Margaret, who married the grandson of [[William Hamilton Merritt]], [[William Hamilton Merritt III]] in 1890. The Merritts did not have any children, thus ending the Simpson lineage.

Robert Simpson died in 1897 and is buried in [[Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto|Mount Pleasant Cemetery]], Toronto.