WIMAN, Erastus, capitalist, born in Churchville, Peel County, Ontario, 21 April, 1834. He received a scanty education in a country school, removed to Toronto, and, after working four years as a printer, became a reporter on the Toronto " Globe," and in 1854-'7 was commercial editor of that paper. He edited the Montreal "Trade Review " in 1864-'5. In 1856 he entered the service of R. G. Dun and Co.'s mercantile agency, and in 1867 became a partner in its New York house, and subsequently its principal manager. He became president of the Great Northwestern telegraph company of Canada in 1881, is a director of the Western Union telegraph company, and president of the Staten Island Rapid Transit railway company in 1884, and succeeded in carrying through congress the authorization of the Arthur Kill bridge between New Jersey and Staten island, which makes ten miles of water front in New York harbor accessible to trunk railroads. Mr. Wiman was mainly instrumental in establishing the Canadian club of New York in 1885, and was its first president. Through his influence chiefly the project of the commercial union of Canada with the United States assumed public importance in the former country, and was finally adopted in the winter of 1888 as the main clause in the platform of the Canadian Liberals, under its changed name of unrestricted reciprocity. He was instrumental in securing in 1886 the abolition of imprisonment for debt in New York state.