James Duperon Bâby (August 25, 1763 – February 19, 1833) was a judge 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 ...

Biography

He was born Jacques Bâby, the son of Jacques Bâby dit Duperon, to a prosperous family in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

in 1763. His last name is pronounced "Baw-bee" and has been anglicized in different lines (e.g. Baubie, Bauby). He was educated in

(i.e., what is now the province of Ontario), where his uncle, François Bâby, lived. In 1792, he was appointed to the Executive Council and

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 o ...

and became lieutenant for Kent County. In 1793, he was appointed judge in the Western District. After the

Jay Treaty The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain that averted ...

in 1795, the Bâby family left the Detroit area and moved to Sandwich (now

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

). (Today his

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

is owned by the

Ontario Heritage Trust The Ontario Heritage Trust (french: link=no, Fiducie du patrimoine ontarien) is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural herita ...

and is used for government offices.) Over the years, the family acquired large amounts of land in the western region of Upper Canada. Bâby was put in charge of the 1st Kent 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 ...

, Sandwich was seized by the

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, and Bâby was later taken prisoner at the

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The British ...

. During the American occupation, his property suffered extensive damage. In 1815, he was appointed Inspector General and moved to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

(now

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

), where he was a politician, judge, wealthy landowner, and part of the ruling clique known as the

Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today’s Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in L ...

. In 1816, he purchased land on the east bank of the Humber, formerly the site of the Seneca ''

Teiaiagon Teiaiagon was an Iroquoian village on the east bank of the Humber River in what is now the York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was located along the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail. The site is near the current intersection of Jane Street ...

'' village, land known today as "Bâby Point." In 1823, he represented Upper Canada in resolving a dispute with

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

over the sharing of customs revenues. A

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, he helped establish the first Catholic church at York, St. Paul's. Baby was also a slave-owner, who advocated for a gradual phase-out of slavery as opposed to outright abolition as proposed by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Graves Simcoe. The resulting compromise in legislation led to the prohibition of buying or trading slaves but allowed slave owners to keep existing slaves until slavery's outright abolition in 1834.

Personal

He died at York in 1833.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

References

James Baby James Duperon Bâby (August 25, 1763 – February 19, 1833) was a judge and political figure in Upper Canada. Biography He was born Jacques Bâby, the son of Jacques Bâby dit Duperon, to a prosperous family in Detroit in 1763. His last nam ...

Beaubien-Casgrain family 1763 births 1833 deaths People from British Detroit Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada French Quebecers Canadian people of the War of 1812 Upper Canada judges Canadian Roman Catholics {{Ontario-politician-stub