James Brenton (November 2, 1736 – December 3, 1806) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He represented Onslow Township from 1765 to 1770 and Halifax County from 1776 to 1785 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly . He was born in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, the son of Jahleel Brenton and Frances Cranston and the grandson of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

governor

Samuel Cranston Samuel Cranston (1659–1727) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times (twice in 1698), and served as g ...

. He became a lawyer in Rhode Island and, in 1760, was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar. Brenton married Rebecca Scott in 1762. He served as captain-lieutenant in the local militia. In 1765, he married Elizabeth Russell. He became solicitor general in 1778 and attorney general the following year. In 1781, he was named an assistant judge in the province's Supreme Court. He was named to the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

in 1799. In 1800, he became a judge in the vice admiralty court. His son with Rebecca, Edward Brabazon Brenton, would become a judge in Newfoundland. His sister Susannah married Brenton Halliburton. Brenton died in Halifax at the age of 69.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brenton, James 1736 births 1806 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Colony of Nova Scotia judges Attorneys General of the Colony of Nova Scotia British emigrants to pre-Confederation Nova Scotia