Ezra Churchill was a merchant, shipbuilder and a Canadian Senator

Canadian Senate

The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...

 for the province of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

.

He was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...

, the son of Ezra Churchill and Elizabeth Trefry. In 1824, he married Ann Davidson. Churchill married Rachel Burgess after the death of his first wife. Churchill was one of the largest shipbuilders in Nova Scotia, launching dozens of large sailing vessels from his yards at Hantsport, Nova Scotia

Hantsport, Nova Scotia

Hantsport is a rural Canadian town and seaport located in the western part of Hants County, Nova Scotia. Hantsport is located just south of the county boundary with Kings County, and sits on the west bank of the Avon River in a tidal estuary.The town is most best known for its history of...

 including the barque Hamburg

Hamburg (barque)

Hamburg was a three masted barque built in 1886 at Hantsport, Nova Scotia. She was the largest three masted barque ever built in Canada . Hamburg was one of the last of over a hundred large sailing vessels built by the Churchill family of Hantsport, led by Ezra Churchill. Her name continued the...

, the largest three masted sailing barque

Barque

A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...

 ever built in Canada. He represented Falmouth township in the provincial assembly from 1855 to 1859 and then represented the North division of Hants County from 1859 to 1867. Churchill was appointed February 3, 1871 to the Senate and represented the Liberal-Conservative Party

Liberal-Conservative Party

The Liberal-Conservative Party was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the label as late as the 1911 election and others ran as simple Conservatives prior to 1873...

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He died in office in Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 in 1874.

His daughter Elizabeth married Douglas Benjamin Woodworth

Douglas Benjamin Woodworth

Douglas Benjamin Woodworth was a lawyer and member of the Woodworth political family from Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Kings in the Canadian House of Commons from 1882 to 1887 as a Liberal-Conservative member....

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Churchill built a large Italianate mansion in Hantsport for his son John Wiley Churchill which was known as "The Cedars". The house is preserved today as the Churchill House

Churchill House, Hantsport

Churchill House is a historic house and community centre located in Hantsport, Nova Scotia. The house was built in 1860 by noted Hantsport shipbuilder Ezra Churchill as a gift for his son John Wiley Churchill...

museum and community centre.