Charles Binns (c. 1786 – April 28, 1847) was a lawyer, businessman and political figure in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. He represented Prince County from 1818 to 1820 and Charlottetown from 1831 to 1838 in the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locate ...

. Binns, thought to have been born in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, was trained as a lawyer in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1809, he set up an agency at

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

with

James Bardin Palmer James Bardin Palmer (ca 1771 – March 3, 1833) was an Irish-born land agent, lawyer and politician in Prince Edward Island. He represented Charlottetown in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1806 to 1818. He was born in ...

intended to supply a partner in England with products exported from the island. In the same year, he married Elizabeth Clarke. After his business venture failed, Binns became a barrister on the island, acquired land there and also became a land agent for other land owners. He served as deputy colonial secretary, solicitor general from 1818 to 1820 and acting attorney general from 1819 to 1820. He also was a captain in the island's militia. Binns was opposed to changes to the land ownership system on the island. After becoming ill, he did not run for reelection in 1839. Binns died in Charlottetown in 1847.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
1786 births 1847 deaths Businesspeople from Yorkshire English emigrants to pre-Confederation Prince Edward Island Members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Colony of Prince Edward Island people Attorneys General of the Colony of Prince Edward Island 19th-century British businesspeople {{PrinceEdwardIsland-politician-stub