William Dickson (Upper Canada)
Encyclopedia
William Dickson was a businessman, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Dumfries
, Scotland
in 1769. In 1785, he emigrated to the Niagara peninsula
, where he managed mills and a store for Robert Hamilton
, his cousin. In 1793, with Samuel Street
, he arranged the sale of Six Nations
lands along the Grand River
, acting as an agent for Joseph Brant
.
In 1806, he took issue with remarks made during a trial by William Weekes
against the former Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter
, who had died in 1805. Weekes challenged him to a duel and, on October 10, was fatally wounded by Dickson and died the next day.
He was taken prisoner by the Americans
at Niagara
during the War of 1812
and his house was burned during the American withdrawal.
He was appointed to Upper Canada's Legislative Council
in 1815. In 1816, he began developing a block of land he had acquired along the Grand River, which later became Dumfries Township and the town of Galt. He encouraged Scottish immigration into that area.
He died at Niagara in 1846.
One son, Robert
, served in the Legislative Assembly and another, Walter
, later became a member of the Senate of 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...
.
He was born in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1769. In 1785, he emigrated to the Niagara peninsula
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
, where he managed mills and a store for Robert Hamilton
Robert Hamilton (judge)
Robert Hamilton was a businessman, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Bolton, East Lothian, Scotland in 1753, the son of John Hamilton and Jane Wright. He came to Canada as part of a contract with a fur trading company operating west of the Great Lakes...
, his cousin. In 1793, with Samuel Street
Samuel Street
Samuel Street was a judge, merchant and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Wilton, Connecticut in 1753. He traded with the native people along the Susquehanna River around 1776; in 1778, he moved to Fort Niagara where he provided supplies to the British...
, he arranged the sale of Six Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
lands along the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
, acting as an agent for Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
.
In 1806, he took issue with remarks made during a trial by William Weekes
William Weekes
William Weekes was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Ireland and came to the United States, later settling at York in 1798...
against the former Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter
Peter Hunter
Lieutenant-General Peter Hunter was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He was eldest son to John Hunter laird of Knapp and Euphemia Jack of Longforgan, Perthshire, Scotland....
, who had died in 1805. Weekes challenged him to a duel and, on October 10, was fatally wounded by Dickson and died the next day.
He was taken prisoner by the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at Niagara
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
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...
and his house was burned during the American withdrawal.
He was appointed to Upper Canada's 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...
in 1815. In 1816, he began developing a block of land he had acquired along the Grand River, which later became Dumfries Township and the town of Galt. He encouraged Scottish immigration into that area.
He died at Niagara in 1846.
One son, Robert
Robert Dickson (Upper Canada politician)
Robert Dickson was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born at Newark in 1796, the son of William Dickson, a member of the Legislative Council. He studied in Edinburgh and settled in Niagara...
, served in the Legislative Assembly and another, Walter
Walter Hamilton Dickson
Walter Hamilton Dickson was a lawyer and political figure in Canada West. He was a Conservative member of the Senate of Canada from 1867 to 1884....
, later became a member of the Senate of Canada.