Francis Xavier Caldwell
Encyclopedia
Francis Xavier Caldwell was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Detroit in 1792, the son of William Caldwell and grandson of Jacques Baby
. He served with the British Army
during the War of 1812
. After the war, he settled on a farm in Amherstburg
. In 1831, he was appointed customs collector and, in 1833, justice of the peace. In 1834, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
for Essex
; he was reelected in 1836. In 1835, he invested heavily in property near an ironworks in Essex County; the project failed due to the unstable financial climate and uncertainty related to the Upper Canada Rebellion
. Caldwell also wound up assuming the financial responsibilities of another investor who fled to the United States
. He had to sell much of his property to cover these debts.
He died in Malden Township in 1851.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
He was born in Detroit in 1792, the son of William Caldwell and grandson of Jacques Baby
Jacques Baby
Jacques Baby, dit Dupéron was a Canadian fur trader and an employee of the British Indian Department.He was born in Montreal in 1731. He was a trader and Indian agent at Logstown, near the current location of Ambridge, Pennsylvania. After the fall of New France in 1760, he refused to swear...
. He served with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. After the war, he settled on a farm in Amherstburg
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
. In 1831, he was appointed customs collector and, in 1833, justice of the peace. In 1834, he was elected to 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 Essex
Essex County, Ontario
Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The administrative seat is Essex...
; he was reelected in 1836. In 1835, he invested heavily in property near an ironworks in Essex County; the project failed due to the unstable financial climate and uncertainty related to the Upper Canada Rebellion
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...
. Caldwell also wound up assuming the financial responsibilities of another investor who fled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He had to sell much of his property to cover these debts.
He died in Malden Township in 1851.