Michael Wallace (ca 1744 – October 8, 1831) was a Scottish-born merchant, 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 Halifax County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1785 to 1802. He was born in

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

and became a merchant in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, moving to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

in 1771. After losing his property in 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 ...

, Wallace moved to Halifax in 1779, where he became a retail and wholesale merchant, mainly importing goods from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. He married Mary Kerby in 1781. Wallace was named a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas; he also received a number of patronage appointments and supply contracts with the military. In 1802, 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 ...

; as senior member of the council, he was called to administer the colony during absences by the lieutenant governor. For a brief time, Wallace also served as judge in the

vice admiralty court Vice Admiralty Courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

. He was named surveyor general of the king's woods in 1820, following the death of John Wentworth. Wallace was president of the

Shubenacadie Canal The Shubenacadie Canal is a canal in central Nova Scotia, Canada. It links Halifax Harbour with the Bay of Fundy by way of the Shubenacadie River and Shubenacadie Grand Lake. Begun in 1826, it was not completed until 1861 and was closed in 1871. ...

Company and a shareholder in a number of other companies. He opposed the presence of American fishing boats in the waters off the British colonies and advocated the exclusion of American trading ships from British ports in the Caribbean. He died in Halifax. His daughter Eleanor married Charles Porter, president of King's College.

Legacy

* namesake of

Port Wallace, Nova Scotia Port Wallace is an urban locality in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on the northeastern edge of the community of Dartmouth and lies midway between Lake Micmac and Lake Charles. Its main street is Route 318, with portions being n ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Michael 1831 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Year of birth uncertain