John W. Squier (1799-1874), a native of New Jersey, came to Grand Rapids in 1842, after having lived in Seneca and Yates Counties, New York and Washtenaw County, Michigan. He built a flour mill near the present-day southwest corner of Michigan and Monroe, then on the east side power canal. The mill machinery was brought to Grand Rapids from Jackson on the Grand River on a scow.

A reputable businessman, Squier's flour milling provided sufficient revenue for him to invest in real estate and other business opportunities. One of his most noticeable investments was building the first opera house in the city in 1859, adjacent to his mill. Both Squier's Opera House and mill were destroyed by fire in 1872. The Index of Fire Service of Grand Rapids (1899), lists the Squier's Opera House as a subscriber. Squier also owned the Western Hotel in the same area, at the corner of Canal (later Monroe) and Crescent Ave., which he opened in 1855 with Charles P. Babcock.

Squier and his wife, Mary L. (d.1876) already had six children (three sons and three daughters) when they came to Grand Rapids in 1842.