John James Robinson-Owen (January 1811 – 1874) was a naval officer and political figure in England and

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) 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. It is the only province with both English and ...

. He represented Charlotte County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...

from 1850 to 1854. He was born in West Ham,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, the son of Captain J. J. Robinson, and educated in England. Robinson served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

from 1824 to 1845, retiring as captain. He also maintained a home at

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

in England. In 1839, he married Cornelia, the daughter of

William Fitzwilliam Owen Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen (17 September 1774 – 3 November 1857), was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Sea ...

. Robinson was named to the

Legislative Council of New Brunswick The Legislative Council of New Brunswick was the upper house of the government of the British colony and later Canadian province of New Brunswick between 1785 and 1891. Members were appointed by the New Brunswick governor. Council chambers Th ...

in 1856. He served as commissioner for lighthouse for the provinces. Robinson, now known as Robinson-Owen, also took over responsibility for administering

Campobello Island Campobello Island (, also ) is the largest and only inhabited island in Campobello, a civil parish in southwestern New Brunswick, Canada, near the border with Maine, United States. The island's permanent population in 2021 was 949. It is the si ...

during his father-in-law's later years and became owner of the island with his wife after Owen died in 1857. The Owen property was sold in 1881 to a group of Boston and New York businessmen. James Roosevelt of the

Roosevelt family The Roosevelt family is an American political family from New York whose members have included two United States presidents, a First Lady, and various merchants, bankers, politicians, inventors, clergymen, artists, and socialites. The progeny ...

purchased several acres of land and had a summer home constructed; other wealthy visitors did the same. Owen, William, Captain (1736 - 1778), Loyalist Collection at the University of New Brunswick
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References

''The Canadian parliamentary companion'' Henry Morgan (1869)
1811 births 1874 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Members of the Legislative Council of New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick people English emigrants to pre-Confederation New Brunswick {{NewBrunswick-MLA-stub

See also

References