John McNeil Wilmot (May 3, 1775 – September 7, 1847) was a businessman, judge and political figure in

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 St. John 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 1820 to 1827, and from 1835 to 1842. He was born in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, the son of Major Lemuel Wilmot, commander of a company of the

Loyal American Regiment The Loyal American Regiment was a British Provincial regiment raised in 1777 for Loyalist service during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment fought in many engagements throughout the war and the men were among the thousands of loyalists ...

, and Elizabeth Street, a sister of

Samuel Street Samuel Street (January 2, 1753 – February 3, 1815) was a Canadian judge, merchant and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Wilton, Connecticut and traded with indigenous people during the American Revolution. He moved to Fort Niag ...

. At age 8, John McNeil Wilmot came to New Brunswick in 1783 with his family. He entered the retail business in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

, later moving to Saint John. In 1808, he married Susannah Harriet Wiggins. Wilmot constructed his own wharf in Saint John in 1813. In 1819, he established a company involved in the timber trade. Wilmot helped established the Commercial Bank of New Brunswick, serving as a director for the bank. He also helped found the New Brunswick Fire Insurance Company and the New Brunswick Mining Company. Wilmot served as a member of the Common Council for Saint John and was a justice in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and a magistrate in the Saint John County court. In 1833, he was named mayor for Saint John. He died at his estate in

Lincoln, New Brunswick Lincoln (2011 pop.: 6,458) is a Canadian suburban community in Sunbury County, New Brunswick. Geography Located on the west bank of the Saint John River between Fredericton and Oromocto, Lincoln was one of the original United Empire Loyalist ...

. His son Robert Duncan also served in the provincial assembly and later became a Father of Confederation.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmot, John M 1755 births 1847 deaths Politicians from Poughkeepsie, New York Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Canadian Baptists Mayors of Saint John, New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick judges American emigrants to pre-Confederation New Brunswick Canadian magistrates