John Willson (August 5, 1776 – May 26, 1860) 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 ...

. He was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in 1776. He arrived in the

Niagara District The Niagara District was a historic district in Upper Canada. Created in 1798 from the Home District, it existed until 1849. Historic evolution The District was formed by an Act of the Parliament of Upper Canada in 1798, and was described as con ...

around 1789 and settled in

Saltfleet Township Saltfleet Township is a geographic township in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The township was established originally in the then Upper Canada. In 1974, it was amalgamated with the village of Stoney Creek to form ...

, where he became a farmer, in 1797. In 1809, he was elected to the

5th Parliament of Upper Canada The 5th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 2 February 1809. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in May 1808. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada and sat at the Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada. This parliament was disso ...

in a by-election in the West riding of York County. He supported reform and voted against the suspension of

habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...

in the province 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 ...

. He helped introduce the Common Schools Bill, which introduced public support of

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

s. In his later periods in office, he adopted more a more conservative position, although he continued to represent the interests of farmers. In 1832, he supported a bill to dispose of the

clergy reserve Clergy reserves were tracts of land in Upper Canada and Lower Canada reserved for the support of "Protestant clergy" by the Constitutional Act of 1791. One-seventh of all surveyed Crown lands were set aside, totaling and respectively for each Prov ...

s, proposing that the proceeds go to education. He became a justice of the peace in the Gore District (present day

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

) in 1811 and, in 1838, became a judge in the district court. In 1839, he became a member of the Legislative Council. He served as commissioner for the Burlington Bay and

Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller in St. Catharines t ...

s. He died in Saltfleet Township in 1860 at age 83. His great-great-granddaughter Dr.

Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, CM, O.Ont (7 November 1913 – 23 February 2009) was a Canadian portrait sculptor, medal designer and liturgical artist. Education and training Born in Hamilton, Ontario, on November 7, 1913, Elizabeth Bradford ...

(1913–2009) was one of Canada's preeminent portrait sculptors.

Tribute

In 1986 was inducted into the ''Hamilton Gallery of Distinction.''

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willson, John 1776 births 1860 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada People from New Jersey People from the Regional Municipality of Niagara Upper Canada judges Canadian justices of the peace