Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto
Encyclopedia
- For his son, a former mayor of TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, see John Beverley RobinsonJohn Beverley RobinsonJohn Beverley Robinson was elected mayor of Toronto in 1856. He was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario between the years 1880–1887....
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Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, (26 July 1791 – 31 January 1863) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada
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...
.
Robinson was born in 1791 at Berthier, Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
, the son of Christopher Robinson
Christopher Robinson (politician)
Christopher Robinson was an American-born soldier, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.-Early life:He was born in Virginia in 1763, the son of John Robinson, Speaker of the House of Burgesses and sometime President of the Council of Virginia, and his wife Catherine, daughter of Major...
, a United Empire Loyalist of one of the First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and along the James River and other navigable waters...
, whose grandfather came there in 1641 as secretary to Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
. In 1792, the family moved to Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
in Upper Canada
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...
and then York (later renamed Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
). After his father's death in 1798, he was sent to live and study in Kingston. In 1803, he moved to Cornwall
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, where he lived and was educated at the school of the Reverend John Strachan
John Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
. Afterwards he articled in law with D’Arcy Boulton and later John Macdonell
John Macdonell
Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonell of Greenfield was an aide-de-camp to British Major General Sir Isaac Brock during the War of 1812, dying in the Battle of Queenston Heights. He was born on 19 April 1785 in Scotland near Aberchalder and came to Canada when he was seven years old...
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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...
, he served with Isaac Brock
Isaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB was a British Army officer and administrator. Brock was assigned to Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada successfully for many years...
and fought at the Battle of Queenston Heights
Battle of Queenston Heights
The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812 and resulted in a British victory. It took place on 13 October 1812, near Queenston, in the present-day province of Ontario...
. On the death of John Macdonell, he became acting attorney general for the province at the age of 21. He prosecuted the case of 18 settlers from Norfolk County
Norfolk County, Ontario
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
who had committed treason by taking up arms against their neighbours on behalf of the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in a series of trials later referred to as the "Bloody Assize
Bloody Assize (1814)
The Bloody Assize in Upper Canada was a series of trials held at Ancaster during the War of 1812.During the war, a number of settlers from the Niagara and London Districts had taken up arms against their neighbours. Many later fled to the United States....
". When D’Arcy Boulton returned to Canada in 1814, Robinson was given the post of attorney general.
In 1817, he was retained by the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
in their civil case against Lord Selkirk
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk was a Scottish peer. He was born at Saint Mary's Isle, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He was noteworthy as a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony.- Early background :Douglas was the seventh son of Dunbar...
. When the company decided to press for criminal charges of theft and assault against Selkirk, Robinson prosecuted the case. Although he returned the company's retainer, there were allegations of conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
.
Robinson also represented the Crown in the case against Robert Fleming Gourlay
Robert Fleming Gourlay
Robert Gourlay was a Scottish-Canadian writer, political reform activist, and agriculturalist.-Biography:...
, a reformer critical of government policies. Gourlay was eventually banished from the province.
In 1820, he was elected to the 8th Parliament of Upper Canada
8th Parliament of Upper Canada
The 8th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 31 January 1821. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1820. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada and sat in the second Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada...
representing the town of York
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Robinson played an important role in the expulsion of Barnabas Bidwell
Barnabas Bidwell
Barnabas Bidwell was a dual Canadian and American politician of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.Bidwell was born to Adonijah Bidwell and Jemima Devotion in Township No. 1 , and graduated from Yale College in 1785. He later attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island...
, a former member of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
who was elected in a by-election in Lennox
Lennox County, Ontario
Lennox County is a historic county in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario.As an upper-tier municipality, the county of Lennox was created on paper in 1792, but has never existed as a discrete municipal entity. From 1792 until 1864, it was part of the United Counties of Frontenac, Lennox...
& Addington
Addington County, Ontario
Addington County is a historic county in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario.It was named after Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth. As an upper-tier municipality, the county of Addington was created on paper in 1792, but has never existed as a discrete municipal entity. From 1792...
, from the Legislative Assembly.
Robinson sailed to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1822, seeking to resolve problems with funding in the province. This culminated in the Canada Trade Act of August 1822 which established import duties on goods transported between the United States and Upper Canada, and Upper Canada's share of duties collected. During his time in England, he was also called to the bar after completing studies at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
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Robinson was the most important member of the Family Compact
Family Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
, an unofficial clique of Upper Canada's elite, who held the true power in the province. One of the more contentious issues dealt with in the 9th Parliament
9th Parliament of Upper Canada
The 9th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 11 January 1825. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1824. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada...
was the naturalization process for persons who had remained in the United States after 1783 and later came to Canada. Robinson supported a policy dictated by the British Colonial Office which required these people to renounce their American citizenship. He was embarrassed when a new colonial secretary reversed this decision under pressure from those who held opposing views.
In 1827 Robinson had a disagreement with John Walpole Willis
John Walpole Willis
John Walpole Willis was an English-born judge, and a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.- Early life :...
, a puisne judge. Willis took an unusual course of stating in court that Robinson had neglected his duty and that he would feel it necessary "to make a representation on the subject to his majesty's government". Willis also took a strong stand on the question of the legality of the court as then constituted, and this led in June 1828 to Willis being removed from his position by the lieutenant-governor, Sir Peregrine Maitland
Peregrine Maitland
Sir Peregrine Maitland, KCB, GCB was a British soldier and colonial administrator who played first-class cricket from 1798 to 1808....
.
In 1829, Robinson became chief justice of the Court of King's Bench and held this post for 34 years. In 1830, he was appointed to the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Upper Canada
The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist of at least seven members. Members were appointed for...
for the province. In the aftermath of 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:...
, he pressed for executions of the rebel leaders (to quote: "in his Opinion is was necessary for the ends of Justice, and due to the Loyal Inhabitants of the Province, that some examples should be made in the way of Capital punishments"). Although he opposed the uniting of Upper and Lower Canada, several of his recommendations found their way into the Union Act of 1840
Act of Union 1840
The Act of Union, formally the The British North America Act, 1840 , was enacted in July 1840 and proclaimed 10 February 1841. It abolished the legislatures of Lower Canada and Upper Canada and established a new political entity, the Province of Canada to replace them...
. In 1850, he was made a Companion of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
and a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1854.
He was a first cousin of Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson
Frederick Philipse Robinson
Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson, GCB was a Virginian soldier, born in the Highlands, near New York, in September, 1763, who fought for Britain during the American War of Independence....
. His brother married a daughter of William Jarvis (Upper Canada official)
William Jarvis (Upper Canada official)
William Jarvis was an American born head of famous Jarvis family of Toronto.Jarvis was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel Jarvis, who was the town's clerk and Martha Seymour. The Jarvis family was forced to flee when his home was seized at the start of the American Revolution...
, and his elder sister married Major Stephen Heward, formerly of the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
and later Auditor-General of Upper Canada
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...
. His younger sister married D'Arcy Boulton (1785–1846), the son of G. D'Arcy Boulton, who built The Grange (Toronto)
The Grange (Toronto)
The Grange is a historic Georgian manor in downtown Toronto, Canada and was the first home of the Art Museum of Toronto. Today, it is part of the Art Gallery of Ontario. The structure was built in 1817, making it the 12th oldest surviving building in Toronto and the oldest remaining brick house...
, and also served as Auditor-General of Upper Canada. He was the stepson of Elisha Beman
Elisha Beman
Elisha Beman was a businessman involved in settlement and the trade derived from that endeavour. He was also a JP and held political offices.Beman was born in New York in 1760 and arrived at York, Upper Canada in 1795....
, one of the important founders of Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
. Robinson died in Toronto in 1863.
External links
- Finding aid to the "John Beverley Robinson fonds" at the Archives of the Law Society of Upper Canada
- The John Beverley Robinson Letterbook Exhibit produced by the Law Society of Upper Canada ArchivesLaw Society of Upper Canada ArchivesThe Law Society of Upper Canada Archives collects and preserves records and other material that documents the history of the legal profession in Ontario. The Archives acquires and preserves records of permanent value to the Law Society of Upper Canada, the regulatory body for lawyers and paralegals...
Preceded by: William Jarvis William Jarvis (Upper Canada official) William Jarvis was an American born head of famous Jarvis family of Toronto.Jarvis was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel Jarvis, who was the town's clerk and Martha Seymour. The Jarvis family was forced to flee when his home was seized at the start of the American Revolution... |
Provincial Secretary of Upper Canada 1817-1838 | Succeeded by: Robert Baldwin Sullivan Robert Baldwin Sullivan Robert Baldwin Sullivan, QC , was a Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician who became the 2nd Mayor of Toronto.... |