Alexander McMartin (1788–July 12, 1853) was a businessman and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

. He was the first person born in Upper Canada to serve in its Legislative Assembly. He was born in Charlottenburgh Township in 1788, the son of a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...

who settled on the

Raisin River The River Raisin is a river in southeastern Michigan, United States, that flows through glacial sediments into Lake Erie. The area today is an agricultural and industrial center of Michigan. The river flows for almost ,U.S. Geological Survey. ...

. The settlement that formed around his father's mills was first known as MacMartin's Mills and later Martintown. McMartin served with the Glengarry militia during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southe ...

in 1838. He was elected to the

6th Parliament of Upper Canada The 6th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 27 July 1812. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in June 1812. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada. The first Parliament buildings (located at the intersection of Front and Parlia ...

in 1812 representing

Glengarry The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...

and represented the county until 1824. During the 1820s, McMartin took over the mill operations. In 1827, with a partner, he took on a contract to clear land for a section of the

Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...

. As the project proceeded, he found that their costs were going to be much greater than the value of the bid. Despite verbal assurances from Colonel

John By Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was an English military engineer. He is best known for having supervised the construction of the Rideau Canal and for having founded Bytown in the process. It developed and was des ...

, he was not compensated for his losses on the project. In 1828, he was elected again as Glengarry's representative and served until 1834. He also served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, postmaster for Martintown and sheriff for the Eastern District. He died at Martintown in 1853.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMartin, Alexander Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada 1788 births 1853 deaths Canadian justices of the peace