Joseph Northwood was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

-born manufacturer, merchant and political figure in Ontario

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....

, Canada. He sat for Lambton division in the Senate of Canada from 1880 to 1886.

He was born in Westport, County Mayo

Westport, County Mayo

Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....

, and came to Canada in 1832, settling in Chatham

Chatham, Ontario

Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...

. His grandfather John Northwood is said to have caught General James Wolfe

James Wolfe

Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...

in his arms when Wolfe was fatally wounded. Northwood ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the legislative Assembly for the Province of Canada in 1864. He married Ann Wilson. Northwood served as a member of the council for the town of Chatham. He died in office in Chatham at the age of 77.