Barnabas Bidwell
Encyclopedia
Barnabas Bidwell was a dual Canadian and American
politician of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.
Bidwell was born to Adonijah Bidwell
and Jemima Devotion in Township No. 1
(now Monterey, Massachusetts
), and graduated from Yale College
in 1785. He later attended Brown University
in Providence, Rhode Island
. He was admitted to the Massachusetts
state bar in 1805 and commenced practice in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
.
Bidwell was a Massachusetts State Senator
from 1801 to 1804, Massachusetts House of Representatives
from 1805 to 1807. Bidwell was elected as a Democratic-Republican and served in the Ninth
and Tenth Congresses
(March 4, 1805 – July 13, 1807). He was Attorney General of Massachusetts (June 15, 1807 – August 30, 1810).
Accused of embezzling money, he and his family fled to Canada
in about 1812 and settled in Kingston, Ontario
.
Bidwell won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
for Lennox and Addington
, but failed to take his seat because his election was petitioned against on the grounds that he was a fugitive from justice, a person of immoral character and had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States. After an unusually long debate Bidwell was expelled from the House by a vote of seventeen to sixteen.
Bidwell died in Bath, Ontario, and his remains are interred in Cataraqui Cemetery, Cataraqui, Ontario.
successfully sat in the same seat from 1824 to 1836. Marshall Spring Bidwell later left for the United States
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.
Bidwell was born to Adonijah Bidwell
Adonijah Bidwell
Adonijah Bidwell was the first minister of Housatonic Township No. 1. He played a large role in the formation and upkeep of the Monterey, Massachusetts militia. Classically educated at Yale, he participated in the victorious Louisbourg, Nova Scotia expedition during the third French and Indian...
and Jemima Devotion in Township No. 1
Monterey, Massachusetts
Monterey is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 934 at the 2000 census.- History :...
(now Monterey, Massachusetts
Monterey, Massachusetts
Monterey is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 934 at the 2000 census.- History :...
), and graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1785. He later attended Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. He was admitted to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state bar in 1805 and commenced practice in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
.
Bidwell was a Massachusetts State Senator
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
from 1801 to 1804, Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
from 1805 to 1807. Bidwell was elected as a Democratic-Republican and served in the Ninth
9th United States Congress
- Senate :* President: George Clinton * President pro tempore: Samuel Smith - House of Representatives :* Speaker: Nathaniel Macon -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
and Tenth Congresses
10th United States Congress
- House of Representatives :- Senate :*President: George Clinton *President pro tempore: Samuel Smith , elected April 16, 1808** Stephen R. Bradley , elected December 28, 1808** John Milledge , elected January 30, 1809...
(March 4, 1805 – July 13, 1807). He was Attorney General of Massachusetts (June 15, 1807 – August 30, 1810).
Accused of embezzling money, he and his family fled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in about 1812 and settled in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
.
Bidwell won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
for Lennox and Addington
Lennox and Addington
Lennox and Addington was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was first created in 1903 from Addington and Lennox ridings...
, but failed to take his seat because his election was petitioned against on the grounds that he was a fugitive from justice, a person of immoral character and had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States. After an unusually long debate Bidwell was expelled from the House by a vote of seventeen to sixteen.
Bidwell died in Bath, Ontario, and his remains are interred in Cataraqui Cemetery, Cataraqui, Ontario.
Legacy
His son Marshall Spring BidwellMarshall Spring Bidwell
Marshall Spring Bidwell was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1799, the son of Barnabas Bidwell. His family settled in Bath in Upper Canada before the War of 1812. He studied with a law firm in Kingston and was called to the Ontario Bar in...
successfully sat in the same seat from 1824 to 1836. Marshall Spring Bidwell later left for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.