Richard Cartwright (born 1759)
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Richard Cartwright (February 2, 1759 - July 27, 1815) was a businessman, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.
He was born in Albany, New York in 1759. His father, also named Richard Cartwright, was an innkeeper and landowner who had come to the state from England in 1742. The family had remained mainly neutral during the American Revolution. However, a letter from his son Richard, intercepted by the authorities in 1777, called his son's loyalty into question. Richard Junior was sent to Montreal and the family's property was confiscated.
In Canada, he was employed for a time with a regiment at Fort Niagara. In 1780, he formed a partnership with Robert Hamilton to supply goods to the British army. He settled at Cataraqui (Kingston) in 1785, where he opened a general store. His business interests expanded to include importing and exporting goods, manufacturing and ship-building. He was an early proponent of free trade with the United States.
In 1788, he became a judge in the Court of Common Pleas and, in 1789, was named to the land board for the Mecklenburg District. He became a member of the Legislative Council for the province in 1792. He helped bring John Strachan to Upper Canada in 1792 to help improve educational facilities in the province. Unlike lieutenant governor John Graves Simcoe, Cartwright believed that English institutions should be adapted to Upper Canada's needs and he opposed encouraging Americans to immigrate to the province.
He served as an officer in the militia during the War of 1812.
Cartwright died in Kingston in 1815. His son, John Solomon, became a judge and political figure in the Province of Canada. His grandson, Richard John Cartwright, became a Kingston lawyer and Canadian political figure.
The former township of Cartwright in Durham County was named in his honour.
