John Charles Rykert was a lawyer and Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada (historical)

The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...

 member of the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

. He represented Lincoln

Lincoln (electoral district)

Lincoln was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1883 and from 1904 to 1997. It was on the Niagara Peninsula in the Canadian province of Ontario...

 from 1878 to 1882 and Lincoln and Niagara

Lincoln and Niagara

Lincoln and Niagara was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1883 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created from parts of Lincoln and Niagara ridings....

 from 1882 to 1891. He represented Lincoln 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...

 from 1867 to 1878.

He was born in St. Catharines in 1832, the son of George Rykert

George Rykert

George Rykert was a businessman, surveyor and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Rhinebeck, New York in 1797 and came to the Niagara District with his family around 1810. He served with the local militia during the War of 1812. After the war, he settled at St. Catharines and taught...

 and Ann Maria Mittleberger. He studied at Upper Canada College

Upper Canada College

Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...

 and the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

. He went on to article in law, was called to the bar in 1854 and opened a practice in St. Catharines. In 1854, he married Annie Hawley. He served as reeve of Grantham Township from 1857 to 1864, reeve of St. Catharines from 1864 to 1876 and mayor from 1895 to 1896. He represented Lincoln

Lincoln County, Ontario

Lincoln County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1792. In 1845, the southern portion of Lincoln County was separated to form Welland County....

 in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada

The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...

 from 1860 to 1863; he was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1863. Rykert died in St. Catharines at the age of 81.

One of his sons, also named John Charles, became the first customs collector in the Kootenay

Kootenays

The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...

 region of British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. Another son, Arthur Frederick

Arthur Frederick Rykert

Arthur Frederick Rykert was a physician and political figure in Ontario. He represented Wentworth North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1914 to 1919 as a Conservative member....

, also served in the Ontario assembly.