Legislative Council of Upper Canada

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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 July 12, 1792. The speaker was usually the Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench. The Legislative Council was dissolved on February 10, 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.

[edit] List of Members of the Legislative Council

Member Town Start Stop Notes
James Baby Sandwich July 12 1792 Feb 19 1833 died in office
Richard Cartwright Kingston July 12 1792 July 27 1815 died in office
Richard Duncan Williamsburgh July 12 1792 1805 dropped due to non-attendance; return to the United States and died in Schenectady, New York in 1819
Alexander Grant, Sr. York July 12 1792 May, 1813 died in office
Robert Hamilton Niagara July 12 1792 March 8 1809 died in office
John Munro Eastern District July 12 1792 October, 1800 died in office
William Osgoode York July 12 1792 Feb 24 1794 became Chief Justice of Lower Canada 1794-1801; retired and died in London, Ontario
William Robertson Sandwich July 12 1792 Nov 4 1792 resigned and left for Montreal in 1797; moved to London England 1800 and died there in 1806
Peter Russell York July 12 1792 September 30 1808 died in office
Æneas Shaw York June 19 1794 Feb 6 1814 died in office
Jacob Mountain1 Quebec City July 1 1794 June 25 1825 died in office
John Elmsley, Sr. York Dec 10 1796 Oct 13 1802 died in office
John McGill York June 10 1797 Dec 31 1834 died in office
Henry Allcock York Jan 4 1803 July 1 1805 move 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 York Aug 7 1806 July 29 1824 died in office
Thomas Talbot Point Talbot Sept 1809 Feb 10 1841 died in London, Ontario 1853
William Claus Niagara Feb 1 1812 Nov 11 1826 died in office
Thomas Clark Chippawa Nov 16 1815 Oct 13 1835 died in office
William Dickson Niagara Nov 16 1815 Feb 10 1841 retired to Niagara and died there in 1846
Thomas Fraser Ernestown Nov 16 1815 1819 status unknown after 1819; died in South Dundas, Ontario in 1821
Neil McLean Cornwall Nov 16 1815 N/A never attended
William Dummer Powell York March 21 1816 Sept 6 1834 died in office
John Strachan York July 10 1820 Feb 10 1841 resigned office due to Act of Union 1840, but remained active member of the Family Compact
Angus McIntosh 2 Sandwich July 11 1820 July 24 1833 died in office
Joseph Wells York July 12 1820 Feb 10 1841  ?
Duncan Cameron York July 12 1820 Sept 9 1838 died in office
George Herchmer Markland York July 14 1820 1838 resigned
George Crookshank York Jan 1 1821 Feb 10 1841  ?
John Henry Dunn York Mar 1 1822 Feb 10 1841 became Receiver General for the Province of Canada in 1841 and elected to the Legislative Council of the Canadas 1841-1843 for Toronto
Thomas Ridout York Oct 11 1825 Feb 8 1829 died in office
William Allan York Oct 12 1825 Feb 10 1841 retired from politics after the Act of Union of 1840 and died in 1853
William Campbell York Oct 10 1826 Jan 18 1834 died in office
Peter Robinson York Jan 6 1829 July 8 1838 died in office
Charles Jones Brockville Jan 7 1829 Aug 21 1840 died in office
James Gordon 3 Amherstburg Jan 8 1829 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
John Beverley Robinson York Jan 1 1830 Feb 10 1841 became Baron 1854 and died in 1863
John Kirby Kingston 1831 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed to Council after Union and died in Kingston in 1846
Augustus Warren Baldwin York Jan 26 1831 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
Zacheus Burnham Cobourg Jan 26 1831 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed after Act of Union and died in Cobourg in 1857
John Elmsley, Jr. York Jan 26 1831 Feb 10 1841  ?
Alexander Macdonell Eastern District Jan 27 1831 Feb 10 1841  ?
Walter Boswell Cobourg Jan 29 1831 Feb 10 1841  ?
John Hamilton Queenston Jan 29 1831 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
Peter Adamson Esquesing Feb 2 1831 Feb 10 1841  ?
James Kerby Kingston Mar 2 1831 Feb 10 1841  ?
James Crooks West Flamborough Mar 16 1831 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
Alexander Macdonell Kingston Oct 12 1831 Jan 14 1840 died in office
Alexander Grant, Jr. 4 Brockville Nov 19 1831 Feb 10 1841 excused
Arthur Lloyd March Dec 6 1831 Feb 10 1841  ?
Abraham Nelles 4 Grimsby Jan 5 1832 Feb 10 1841  ?
Thomas Alexander Stewart Peterborough Nov 20 1833 Feb 10 1841  ?
William Morris Perth Jan 22 1836 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
George Hamilton Hamilton Jan 23 1836 Feb 20 1836 died in office
John Macaulay Kingston Jan 23 1836 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
Archibald McLean Cornwall Jan 23 1836 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed; later served as in the Court of Common Pleas 1850-1862, Chief justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench for Upper Canada 1862-1863 and judge of the Court of Error and Appeal 1863-1865. He died in Toronto in 1865
Philip VanKoughnet Cornwall Jan 23 1836 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed; later chairman of the Canadian Board of Government Arbitrators 1870-1873
John Simcoe Macaulay Toronto Feb 9 1839 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed; served on Toronto City Council 1841-1842; retired to England 1845
Jonas Jones Toronto Feb 27 1839 Feb 10 1841  ?
Adam Fergusson Gore District Feb 27 1839 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
Thomas Radcliff Adelaide Feb 27 1839 Feb 10 1841  ?
Robert Baldwin Sullivan Toronto Feb 27 1839 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed to Council after Union; appointed to the Queen's Bench 1848
Robert Charles Wilkins Prince Edward Mar 14 1839 Feb 10 1841  ?
John McDonald Gananoque Mar 20 1839 Feb 10 1841 appointed to Council after Union 1841, but removed for non-attendance 1848
Henry Graham Bathurst District Apr 19 1839 N/A never attended
Isaac Fraser Ernestown July 16 1839 Feb 10 1841  ?
Peter Boyle de Blaquière Woodstock Dec 3 1839 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
Alexander Fraser Eastern District Dec 3 1839 Feb 10 1841 re-appointed
John McGillivray Williamstown Dec 3 1839 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed; served as justice of the peace; died near Williamstown (South Glengarry, Ontario) in 1855
John Willson Gore District Dec 3 1839 Feb 10 1841 not re-appointed; died in Saltfleet Township in 1860

Notes:

  1. Jacob Mountain was the 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 United Province in October 1845.
  4. Alexander Grant, Jr. and Abraham Nelles did not attend after 1832.

[edit] See also


[edit] References

  • Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology, Frederick H. Armstrong, Toronto : Dundurn Press, 1985. ISBN 0-919670-92-X