Legislative Council of Upper 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.

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

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 edit

Member Town From To Notes
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) 1805 Dropped 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 York 1792 (12 July) 1794 (24 February) Became Chief Justice of Lower Canada 1794–1801; retired and died in London, Ontario
William Robertson Sandwich 1792 (12 July) 1792 (4 November) Resigned and left for Montreal in 1797; moved to London, England 1800 and died there in 1806
Peter Russell York 1792 (12 July) 1808 (30 September) Died in office
Æneas Shaw York 1794 (19 June) 1814 (6 February) Died in office
Jacob Mountain1
(1 December 1749–16 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. York 1796 (10 December) 1802 (13 October) Became Chief Justice of Lower Canada after William Osgoode; died in Montreal, April 1805
John McGill York 1797 (10 June) 1834 (31 December) Died in office
Henry Allcock York 1803 (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 York 1806 (7 August) 1824 (29 July) Died in office
Thomas Talbot Port Talbot 1809 (September) 1841 (10 February) Died in London, Ontario in 1853
William Claus
(8 September 1765–11 November 1826)
Niagara 1812 (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 Niagara 1815 (16 November) 1841 (10 February) Retired to Niagara and died there in 1846
Thomas Fraser Ernestown 1815 (16 November) 1819 Status unknown after 1819; died in South Dundas, Ontario in 1821
Neil McLean Cornwall 1815 (16 November) Not applicable Never attended
William Dummer Powell York 1816 (21 March) 1834 (6 September) Died in office
John Strachan York 1820 (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 2 Sandwich 1820 (11 July) 1833 (24 July) Died in office
Joseph Wells York 1820 (12 July) 1841 (10 February) Bursar of King's College
Duncan Cameron York 1820 (12 July) 1838 (9 September) Died in office
George Herchmer Markland York 1820 (14 July) 1838 Resigned
George Crookshank
(23 July 1773–21 July 1859)
York 1821 (1 January) 1841 (10 February) Commissariat of supplies for Fort York; Assistant Commissary General 1814–1819, Receiver General of Public Accounts (1819–1820); Director of the Bank of Upper Canada 1822–1827
John Henry Dunn York 1822 (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 1841–1843 for Toronto
Thomas Ridout York 1825 (11 October) 1829 (8 February) Died in office
William Allan York 1825 (12 October) 1841 (10 February) Retired from politics after the Act of Union of 1840, and died in 1853
William Campbell York 1826 (10 October) 1834 (18 January) Died in office
Peter Robinson York 1829 (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 York 1830 (1 January) 1841 (10 February) Provincial Secretary 1817–1838, became a Baron in 1854, and died in 1863
John Kirby Kingston 1831 1841 (10 February) Not re-appointed to the Council after the union; died in Kingston in 1846
Augustus Warren Baldwin York 1831 (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 1801–8 May 1863)
York 1831 (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 Macdonell Eastern District 1831 (27 January) 1841 (?)
Walter Boswell Cobourg 1831 (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
(1785–20 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 Kingston 1831 (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.4 Brockville 1831 (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 1786–6 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 Kingston 1836 (23 January) 1841 (10 February) Re-appointed
Archibald McLean Cornwall 1836 (23 January) 1841 (10 February) 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 1836 (23 January) 1841 (10 February) Not re-appointed; later chairman of the Canadian Board of Government Arbitrators 1870–1873
John Simcoe Macaulay Toronto 1839 (9 February) 1841 (10 February) Not re-appointed; served on Toronto City Council 1841–1842; retired to England in 1845 and died there in 1855.
Jonas Jones
(19 May 1791–30 July 1848)
Toronto 1839 (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 1794–6 June 1841)
Adelaide 1839 (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 Toronto 1839 (27 February) 1841 (10 February) Provincial Secretary 1838–1841; 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 applicable Never attended
Isaac Fraser Ernestown 1839 (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 District 1839 (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 edit

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

Buildings housing the Legislative Council edit

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

Meeting Places edit

See also edit

References edit

  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.

External links edit