Gabriel George Ludlow (April 16, 1736 – February 12, 1808) was a Loyalist[2] military officer and politician who served as the first mayor of Canada's oldest incorporated city, Saint John, in then-colonial New Brunswick.
Gabriel George Ludlow | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by John Singleton Copley | |
| 1st Mayor of Saint John, New Brunswick | |
| In office May 18, 1785 – 1795[1] | |
| Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
| Succeeded by | William Campbell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 16, 1736 Queens County, Long Island, Province of New York |
| Died | February 12, 1808 (aged 71) Saint John, Colony of New Brunswick |
| Spouse |
Ann Verplanck
(m. 1760) |
| Relations | George Duncan Ludlow (brother) Gulian Verplanck (brother in-law) Edward Hunter Ludlow (grandson) |
| Children | Gabriel Verplanck Ludlow |
| Parent(s) | Gabriel Ludlow Frances Duncan Ludlow |
Life and career edit
Gabriel George Ludlow was born on April 16, 1736, in Queens County, Long Island, in the Province of New York of then-British America. He was born to merchant Gabriel Ludlow and Frances Frances (née Duncan) Ludlow. Additionally, he was the younger brother of George Duncan Ludlow.[3]
Ludlow served in the 3rd Battalion of the Long Island-based De Lancey's Brigade as a colonel. He later served as a King's College governor as well as a Justice of the peace.[4] Ludlow later arrived in Parrtown with his older brother.[5] On May 18, 1785,[6] upon the incorporation of Saint John following the amalgamation of the Loyalist-created Parrtown and Carleton,[7] Ludlow was sworn into office as its first mayor. According to the Telegraph-Journal, he was additionally the first mayor in Canada.[6]
Ludlow's family, including himself,[8] were firm supporters of slavery and were slaveowners. His father traded slaves, and whilst his older brother, George, was the first Chief Justice of New Brunswick,[9] he also declared slavery, which he practiced, to be legal in the controversial 1799 court case R v Jones.[10][11]
Ludlow also temporarily served as the acting Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.[12]
Personal life edit
On February 12, 1808, Ludlow married Anne Verplanck,[3] sister of Gulian Verplanck, the Federalist Speaker of the New York State Assembly.[13] They had one son, Gabriel Verplanck Ludlow,[3] the father of Edward Hunter Ludlow.[13] On February 12, 1808, Ludlow died in Saint John at the age of 71,[3] and was buried at the Old Carleton Graveyard in Saint John West along with his wife.[14][15]
References edit
- ^ Hopkins, J. Castell (John Castell) (1898). Canada: an encyclopædia of the country; the Canadian dominion considered in its historic relations, its natural resources, its material progress and its national development, by a corps of eminent writers and specialists. Toronto : Linscott Pub. Co. p. 297. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "The Loyalist Founders of St. John". The Burlington Free Press. November 22, 1889. p. 7. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Biography – LUDLOW, GABRIEL GEORGE – Volume V (1801–1820)". www.biographi.ca. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Gabriel George Ludlow". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). August 29, 1976. p. 355. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Anniversaries". Calgary Herald. February 12, 1914. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Descendants sought;trees to honour mayors". Telegraph-Journal. February 28, 2000. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Saint John". Encyclopædia Britannica. April 26, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Lockhart, Bob (February 16, 2012). "There's a richness of black history in New Brunswick; Black History Month". The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Portrait of controversial figure George Ludlow removed from UNB law school". The Canadian Press. CBC News. October 31, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Biography – LUDLOW, GEORGE DUNCAN – Volume V (1801–1820)". www.biographi.ca. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ Chilibeck, John (October 28, 2019). "Ludlow's questionable legacy in New Brunswick". Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Anniversaries". The Calgary Daily Herald. February 12, 1914. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ a b NEW YORK'S GREAT INDUSTRIES. 1885. p. 88. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Colonel Gabriel G. Ludlow". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ "St. John Will Have Celebration on May 18". The Gazette. May 16, 1928. Retrieved May 1, 2024.