Andrew Belcher (July 22, 1763 – November 17, 1841) was a

British North American British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

merchant, politician and justice of the peace from

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. Belcher was born in Halifax to father

Jonathan Belcher Jonathan Belcher (8 January 1681/8231 August 1757) was a merchant, politician, and slave trader from colonial Massachusetts who served as both governor of Massachusetts Bay and governor of New Hampshire from 1730 to 1741 and governor of New J ...

, who was Nova Scotia's chief justice from 1754 to 1776. Andrew was young when his father died—subsequently, his life was influenced by

Alexander Brymer Alexander Brymer (1745–27 August 1822) was a Scottish-born merchant who was influential in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was a member of the North British Society and a mentor to fellow merchant, William Bowie. He was appointed to the Nova S ...

, a prominent Scottish-born businessman located in Halifax. Belcher had many years as an important part of the Nova Scotia business and political community. He was briefly a member of the Legislative Assembly for Halifax Township from April 16, 1800, until June 11, 1801, when he was appointed to the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, which he served through 1813. After retiring to England, he suffered serious financial setbacks due to some questionable investments and a recession. Belcher returned to Halifax in 1829 to attempt to recover his wealth. He fled Halifax with his family in 1835, but died nearly destitute in

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Belcher was married in Boston in 1792 to Mary Ann Geyer (1770–1817), who bore him 11 children. One son,

Edward Belcher Admiral Sir Edward Belcher (27 February 1799 – 18 March 1877) was a British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer. Born in Nova Scotia, he was the great-grandson of Jonathan Belcher, who served as a colonial governor of Massachuse ...

, brought some positive recognition to the family name as leader of an Arctic expedition to search for

Sir John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...

References

* 1763 births 1841 deaths Canadian merchants Canadian justices of the peace Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs {{Canada-business-bio-stub