George T. Sanderson
Hill County
History of Montana, Sanders, 1913

A resident of Montana for a quarter of a century and long 
prominent in public and business life at Havre, George T. 
Sanderson is one of the citizens who have done much for the 
development of this state since its admission to the Union.  
He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, September 25, 1856.  His 
father, John C. Sanderson, who was born in Ontario in 1830 
and is still active in business, running a lumber yard at 
Jarvis, Ontario spent most of his career as a railway builder.  
He was for a number of years superintendent of construction 
for the Great Western and for other roads between Niagara 
Falls and Windsor.  He married Mary Taylor, who was born in 
Ireland in 1833 and died at Jarvis in November 1893.  She 
came to America when a young girl.

George T. Sanderson, the oldest of their nine children, 
received his early education in the public schools at Galt, 
Ontario, where he spent most of his youth.  He began the 
serious endeavors of life when still a boy and has been the 
architect of his own prosperous career.  At the age of 
fifteen he was apprenticed to learn the machinists trade, 
spending four years with Goldie, McColloch and Company at 
Galt, after which he took a business course in a commercial 
college of London, Ontario.  In 1879 he began learning 
locomotive works at Hamilton, and thence came west to 
Winnipeg as machinist and locomotive foreman in the 
service of the Canadian Pacific.  With that railroad he 
spent six and a half years until the spring of 1887 when 
he became master mechanic on the Montana division of the 
Great Northern.  For four years his residence was at Ft. 
Assiniboine, but since 1891 he has made his home in Havre.  
Mr. Sanderson continued in the railway service in the 
responsible post of master mechanic until November 1899, 
since which time he has been engaged in the land business.

Mr. Sanderson's name is often mentioned in the history of his 
home city.  He was one of the first public school trustees of 
the town, and when the city was incorporated in 1892 he was 
one of the first aldermen elected to the council.  He also 
served as mayor during 1896-97 and in April 1912 was again 
elected alderman.  He was vice president of the Havre 
Commercial Company seven years, is an active member of the 
Havre Commercial Club and has been especially instrumental 
in bringing people to Hill company and establishing them on 
government lands.

Mr. Sanderson was married at Preston, Ontario, in 1882 to Miss 
Mary Smith, a native of Galt.  They are the parents of three 
children: Mae is the wife of Judge W.P. Pyper of Havre; 
Georgiana is the wife of Dr. J.S. Almas of Havre and John 
is the present assistant city engineer of Havre.