Delino Dexter Calvin
Encyclopedia
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
businessman and political figure. He represented Frontenac
Frontenac (Ontario electoral district)
Frontenac was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario...
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
as a Conservative member from 1868 to 1875 and from 1877 to 1883.
He was born in Clarendon, Vermont
Clarendon, Vermont
Clarendon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,571 at the 2010 census. Clarendon spans U.S. Route 7 and is split by the highway, the Cold River and Mill River, Otter Creek, and the Green Mountains into the villages of Clarendon, West Clarendon, East Clarendon,...
in 1798 and moved to northern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state in 1818 where he farmed and became involved in the lumber trade. He later moved to Clayton, New York
Clayton, New York
The term Clayton, New York could refer to either of two locations on St. Lawrence River:* Clayton , New York* Clayton , New York...
to concentrate on lumber operations. In 1836, he became involved in the Kingston Stave Forwarding Company (later Calvin and Cook) based on Garden Island in Canada West and, in 1844, he relocated to Garden Island. The company owned several ships which transported timber from the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
to the island, where the logs were built into rafts that were floated down the Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence
Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...
to Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
for transportation to Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
. The company also operated as general merchants, shipbuilders and manufacturers, transported other goods and operated a tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
service. Calvin also served as a director of the Kingston and Pembroke Railway
Kingston and Pembroke Railway
The Kingston and Pembroke Railway was a Canadian railway that operated in eastern Ontario. The railway was seen as a business opportunity which would support the lumber and mining industries, as well as the agricultural economy in eastern Ontario....
. He became sole owner of Garden Island and looked after the small community there that mainly consisted of company workers, serving as reeve when it was incorporated as a village in 1866. Calvin enforced prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
on the island. He was also reeve of Wolfe Island
Wolfe Island (Ontario)
Wolfe Island is an island located at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River in Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. Wolfe Island is part of Frontenac County, Ontario. Together with Howe Island, Simcoe Island, and Hickory Island forms the Township of Frontenac Islands. It is the largest of the...
and became warden for Frontenac County
Frontenac County, Ontario
Frontenac County, as defined by Statistics Canada, is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. The City of Kingston is included in the census division, but is politically separated from the County of Frontenac. It has a land...
in 1863. He was elected to the provincial legislature in an 1868 by-election after the death of the sitting member and served until 1875. He was elected again in 1877 after the death of Peter Graham and served until 1883. He died on Garden Island in 1884 and was buried in Clayton.
His son Hiram Augustus
Hiram Augustus Calvin
Hiram Augustus Calvin was a businessman and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Frontenac as an Independent Conservative from 1892 to 1896 and as a Conservative from 1900 to 1904....
took over the operation of the business on his father's death and later served in the House of Commons. His daughter Minerva Edna married Nelson Gordon Bigelow
Nelson Gordon Bigelow
Nelson Gordon Bigelow was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Toronto in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal in 1892....
who served in the Ontario legislative assembly.
The township of Calvin
Calvin, Ontario
Calvin is a township in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattawa River in Nipissing District. The township took its name from Delino Dexter Calvin, an Ontario lumber merchant and MPP based in Frontenac County....
in Nipissing District
Nipissing District, Ontario
Nipissing District, Ontario is a district in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858. The district seat is North Bay.In 2006, the population was 84,688...
was named after him.