John Robinson (1762 – October 8, 1828) was a merchant and political figure in the pre-

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented the City of Saint John 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 1802 to 1809 and from 1810 to 1816. He was born near

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the son of

Beverley Robinson Beverley Robinson (11 January 1721 – 9 April 1792), was a Virginia-born soldier who became a wealthy colonist of the Province of New York and is best known as a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Robinson married Susanna Philips ...

and Susanna Philipse. Robinson was the grandson of John Robinson, former administrator for Virginia. At the start of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, he enlisted in 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 ...

, a loyalist regiment organized by his father. Around 1786, he settled in the valley of the Saint John River. Robinson was named sheriff for Queens County. In 1787, he married Elizabeth, the daughter of

George Duncan Ludlow George Duncan Ludlow (29 September 1734 – 13 November 1808) was a lawyer and Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of the British Province of New York in the Thirteen Colonies who became the first Chief Justice of New Brunswick in Canada. Early lif ...

. A few years later, he established himself as a merchant in Saint John. Robinson did not run for reelection in 1809 but was elected to the legislative assembly in an 1810 by-election. He served as acting deputy paymaster general 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 was chosen as speaker for the assembly in 1813 following the death of

Amos Botsford Amos Botsford (January 31, 1744 – September 14, 1812) was a lawyer, judge, land owner and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented Westmorland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1786 to 1812. He was born in ...

and served until 1816 when he was named provincial treasurer. In the same year, he was named mayor of Saint John. In 1818, he was named to the New Brunswick Legislative Council. In 1820, he was named to the board of directors for the new

Bank of New Brunswick The Bank of New Brunswick, established in 1820, was the first Canadian bank to operate under a charter. The bank operated independently in New Brunswick and later in Prince Edward Island until it merged with the Bank of Nova Scotia (now Scotiabank ...

and became president. Robinson resigned from the Council in 1826 but continued as mayor and province treasurer until his death in Saint John in 1828.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, John 1782 births 1828 deaths Businesspeople from Saint John, New Brunswick Canadian Anglicans Canadian bank presidents Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick People of the Province of New York United Empire Loyalists Mayors of Saint John, New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick people Members of the Legislative Council of New Brunswick Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick