Legislative Council of Upper Canada

Last updated

Legislative Council of Upper Canada
Type
Type
History
Founded1791 (1791)
Disbanded1841 (1841)
Preceded by Council for the Affairs of the Province of Quebec
Succeeded by Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist of at least seven members. Members were appointed for life but could be dropped for non-attendance. The first nine members of the council were appointed on 12 July 1792. The speaker was usually the Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench. The Legislative Council was dissolved on 10 February 1841 when Upper and Lower Canada were united into the Province of Canada. Some members were reappointed to the Legislative Council of the united Province.

Contents

Unlike the other three provinces that would initially make up the Dominion of Canada, a provincial Legislative Council was not re-established for Ontario when the province entered Confederation in 1867.

List of Members of the Legislative Council

MemberTownFromToNotes
James Baby Sandwich 1792 (12 July)1833 (19 February)Died in office
Richard Cartwright Kingston 1792 (12 July)1815 (27 July)Died in office
Richard Duncan Williamsburgh 1792 (12 July)1805Dropped due to non-attendance; returned to the United States and died in Schenectady, New York in 1819
Alexander Grant, Sr. York 1792 (12 July)1813 (May)Died in office
Robert Hamilton Niagara 1792 (12 July)1809 (8 March)Died in office
John Munro Eastern District 1792 (12 July)1800 (October)Died in office
William Osgoode York1792 (12 July)1794 (24 February)Became Chief Justice of Lower Canada 17941801; retired and died in London, Ontario
William Robertson Sandwich1792 (12 July)1792 (4 November)Resigned and left for Montreal in 1797; moved to London, England 1800 and died there in 1806
Peter Russell York1792 (12 July)1808 (30 September)Died in office
Æneas Shaw York1794 (19 June)1814 (6 February)Died in office
Jacob Mountain 1
(1 December 174916 June 1825)
Quebec City 1794 (1 July)1825 (25 June)Anglican Bishop of Quebec and founder of the Church of England in the Canadas; died in office
John Elmsley, Sr. York1796 (10 December)1802 (13 October)Became Chief Justice of Lower Canada after William Osgoode; died in Montreal, April 1805
John McGill York1797 (10 June)1834 (31 December)Died in office
Henry Allcock York1803 (4 January)1805 (1 July)Moved to Lower Canada as member of the Executive Council of Lower Canada and later as Speaker of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada; died in office at Quebec City in 1808
Thomas Scott York1806 (7 August)1824 (29 July)Died in office
Thomas Talbot Port Talbot1809 (September)1841 (10 February)Died in London, Ontario in 1853
William Claus
(8 September 176511 November 1826)
Niagara1812 (1 February)1826 (11 November)Died of cancer while in office; Indian Department official, Justice of the Peace
Thomas Clark Chippawa 1815 (16 November)1835 (13 October)Died in office
William Dickson Niagara1815 (16 November)1841 (10 February)Retired to Niagara and died there in 1846
Thomas Fraser Ernestown 1815 (16 November)1819Status unknown after 1819; died in South Dundas, Ontario in 1821
Neil McLean Cornwall 1815 (16 November)Not applicableNever attended
William Dummer Powell York1816 (21 March)1834 (6 September)Died in office
John Strachan York1820 (10 July)1841 (10 February)Resigned office due to the Act of Union 1840, but remained an active member of the Family Compact
Angus McIntosh 2Sandwich1820 (11 July)1833 (24 July)Died in office
Joseph Wells York1820 (12 July)1841 (10 February)Bursar of King's College
Duncan CameronYork1820 (12 July)1838 (9 September)Died in office
George Herchmer Markland York1820 (14 July)1838Resigned
George Crookshank
(23 July 177321 July 1859)
York1821 (1 January)1841 (10 February)Commissariat of supplies for Fort York; Assistant Commissary General 18141819, Receiver General of Public Accounts (18191820); Director of the Bank of Upper Canada 18221827
John Henry Dunn York1822 (1 March)1841 (10 February)Became Receiver General for the Province of Canada in 1841, and elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada 18411843 for Toronto
Thomas Ridout York1825 (11 October)1829 (8 February)Died in office
William Allan York1825 (12 October)1841 (10 February)Retired from politics after the Act of Union of 1840, and died in 1853
William Campbell York1826 (10 October)1834 (18 January)Died in office
Peter Robinson York1829 (6 January)1838 (8 July)Died in office
Charles Jones Brockville 1829 (7 January)1840 (21 August)Died in office
James Gordon 3 Amherstburg 1829 (8 January)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
John Beverley Robinson York1830 (1 January)1841 (10 February)Provincial Secretary 18171838, became a Baron in 1854, and died in 1863
John Kirby Kingston18311841 (10 February)Not re-appointed to the Council after the union; died in Kingston in 1846
Augustus Warren Baldwin York1831 (26 January)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
Zacheus Burnham Cobourg 1831 (26 January)1841 (10 February)Not re-appointed after the Act of Union, and died in Cobourg in 1857
John Elmsley, Jr.
(19 May 18018 May 1863)
York1831 (26 January)1841 (10 February)Royal Navy Captain, entrepreneur, and philanthropist; supported Catholic education in York/Toronto; son of the second Chief Justice of Upper Canada John Elmsley.
Alexander MacdonellEastern District1831 (27 January)1841 (?)
Walter BoswellCobourg1831 (29 January)1841 (10 February)Royal Navy Captain, church warden of St. Peter's Anglican Church in Cobourg
John Hamilton Queenston 1831 (29 January)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
Peter Adamson Esquesing 1831 (2 February)1841 (10 February)Peninsular War veteran, general, and mill owner
James Kerby
(178520 June 1854)
Kingston 1831 (2 March)1841 (10 February)Militia captain (Incorporated Militia), businessman, justice of the peace, and mill owner
James Crooks West Flamborough 1831 (16 March)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
Alexander Macdonell Kingston1831 (12 October)1840 (14 January)Chaplain of the Glengarry Fencibles; Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec; Bishop of Kingston; founder of Regiopolis College, Kingston. Died in office
Alexander Grant, Jr.4Brockville1831 (19 November)1841 (10 February)Excused
Arthur Lloyd March 1831 (6 December)1841 (10 February)Colonel, Napoleonic War veteran
Abraham Nelles4 Grimsby 1832 (5 January)1841 (10 February)Land surveyor, Militia officer, Township Council member. Died in office 1839
Thomas Alexander Stewart
(10 June 17866 September 1847)
Peterborough 1833 (20 November)1841 (10 February)Settler, justice of the peace, and mill owner
William Morris Perth 1836 (22 January)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
George Hamilton Hamilton 1836 (23 January)1836 (20 February)Died in office
John Macaulay Kingston1836 (23 January)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
Archibald McLean Cornwall1836 (23 January)1841 (10 February)Not re-appointed; later served as in the Court of Common Pleas 18501862, Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench for Upper Canada 18621863 and judge of the Court of Error and Appeal 18631865; he died in Toronto in 1865
Philip VanKoughnet Cornwall1836 (23 January)1841 (10 February)Not re-appointed; later chairman of the Canadian Board of Government Arbitrators 18701873
John Simcoe Macaulay Toronto 1839 (9 February)1841 (10 February)Not re-appointed; served on Toronto City Council 18411842; retired to England in 1845 and died there in 1855.
Jonas Jones
(19 May 179130 July 1848)
Toronto1839 (27 February)1841 (10 February)Barrister and judge (Prescott and Russell, Leeds and Grenville and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry) [1]
Adam Fergusson Gore District 1839 (27 February)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
Thomas Radcliff
(17 April 17946 June 1841)
Adelaide1839 (27 February)1841 (10 February)Peninsular War veteran and militia officer; later as magistrate and customs collector (died June 1841 before assuming post) [2]
Robert Baldwin Sullivan Toronto1839 (27 February)1841 (10 February)Provincial Secretary 18381841; not re-appointed to the Council after the Union; appointed to the Queen's Bench in 1848
Robert Charles Wilkins Prince Edward 1839 (14 March)1841 (10 February)Owner of mercantile firm Shuter and Wilkins
John McDonald Gananoque 1839 (20 March)1841 (10 February)Appointed to the Council after the Union in 1841, but removed for non-attendance in 1848
Henry Graham Bathurst District 1839 (19 April)Not applicableNever attended
Isaac Fraser Ernestown1839 (16 July)1841 (10 February)Colonel of the Addington Militia, and justice of the peace
Peter Boyle de Blaquière Woodstock 1839 (3 December)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
Alexander Fraser Eastern District 1839 (3 December)1841 (10 February)Re-appointed
John McGillivray Williamstown 1839 (3 December)1841 (10 February)Not re-appointed; served as a justice of the peace; died near Williamstown (South Glengarry, Ontario) in 1855
John Willson Gore District1839 (3 December)1841 (10 February)Not re-appointed; died in Saltfleet Township in 1860

Notes:

  1. Jacob Mountain was the Anglican Bishop of Quebec; he never attended a session but was not dropped.
  2. Angus McIntosh never attended a session but was not dropped; he returned to Scotland in 1831.
  3. James Gordon was re-appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada in October 1845.
  4. Alexander Grant, Jr. and Abraham Nelles did not attend after 1832.

Speakers

The Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench was usually the Speaker of the Council:

Buildings housing the Legislative Council

The Legislative Council sat in the same building as the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada:

Meeting Places

See also

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References

  1. Fraser, Robert L. (1988). "Jones, Jonas". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography . Vol. VII (1836–1850) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  2. Read, Colin (1988). "Radcliff, Thomas". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography . Vol. VII (1836–1850) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.