Henry Hezekiah Cogswell (April 12, 1776 – November 9, 1854) was a lawyer, political figure and philanthropist in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Halifax in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1820. He was president of the Royal Acadian School. He was born in

Cornwallis Township Cornwallis Township was one of the original townships of Kings County, Nova Scotia. The township was named after Edward Cornwallis, the founder of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It bordered Aylesford Township to the west and Horton Township to the south. ...

, the son of Mason Cogswell and Lydia Huntington, and was educated at

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

. He studied law with Richard John Uniacke and was called to the bar in 1798, setting up practice in Halifax. In 1805, Cogswell married Isabella Ellis. He was named deputy provincial secretary in 1812 and, in 1818, Registrar of the Court of Chancery. In 1816, he purchased

The Carleton The Carleton (also known as the Carleton House and Carleton Hotel) is a building on Argyle Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, built in 1760 as the home of Richard Bulkeley. Apart from two churches, Bulkeley's home is the oldest building in Halifax, ...

. With

Martin Gay Black Martin Gay Black (19 November 1786 – 26 October 1861) was the son of William Black, who was the founder of the Methodist congregation in Nova Scotia. Martin Black was raised in a home dedicated to the evangelical religious practices of Methodism. ...

and others, he helped establish the

Halifax Banking Company The Halifax Banking Company was the first bank in Nova Scotia. Established in 1825, it was unable to obtain a charter from the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly and operated as a private company. It became incorporated as a chartered bank in 1872 and ...

in 1825, serving as first president for the bank. In 1831, Cogswell was named to the province's

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 ...

. He also served as commissioner of the vice admiralty court and president of the Halifax Board of Health. Cogswell was president of the Albion Fire and Life Insurance Company and of the Annapolis Iron Mining Company. An obvious target for political reformers, he lost most of his political appointments by 1841. Cogswell helped support the Halifax Mechanics' Institute, was a generous supporter of King's College and contributed to Halifax charities. In his later years, he lobbied for a railway link between Halifax and Quebec City. He died at Halifax at the age of 78. His daughter

Isabella Binney Cogswell Isabella Cogswell (6 July 1819 – 6 December 1874) was a Canadian businesswoman. She was born in Halifax, a daughter to Henry Hezekiah Cogswell and his wife. Cogswell showed a business acumen that stood her in good stead in funding her phil ...

went on to become a prominent philanthropist and his son

James Colquhoun Cogswell James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

later served as president of the Halifax Banking Company. His son William Cogswell became a highly respected author and minister in the Anglican Church.

Legacy

* namesake of Cogswell Street, Halifax

Gallery

File:Henry H. Cogswell children's monument, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Henry H. Cogswell children's monument by

William F. Woodington William Frederick Woodington (10 February 1806 – 24 December 1893) was a notable English painter and sculptor. Life Woodington was born in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire (possibly at the Three Tuns in High Street), and was articled at the a ...

, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia File:Isabella Binney Cogswell, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Cogswell monument to his daughter

St. Paul's Church (Halifax) St. Paul's Church is an evangelical Anglican church in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is located at the south end of the Grand Parade, an open sq ...

File:Rev. William Cogswell, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Rev. William Cogswell, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova ScotiaOnline Books by William Cogswell
/ref> File:Rev. William Cogswell Monument, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Rev. William Cogswell Monument, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia File:Henry Hezekiah Cogswell, Camphill Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, Henry Hezekiah Cogswell, Camp Hill Cemetery , Halifax, Nova Scotia

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cogswell, Henry H 1776 births 1854 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Canadian philanthropists