Peter Perry (November 14, 1792 – August 24, 1851) was a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

man 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 ...

Biography

He was born in Ernestown, Upper Canada (now

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

) in 1792, the son of Robert Perry and Jemima Gary Washburn. His father was a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

who had served with the

Queen's Rangers The Queen's Rangers, also known as the Queen's American Rangers, and later Simcoe's Rangers, were a Loyalist military unit of the American Revolutionary War. Formed in 1776, they were named for Queen Charlotte, consort of George III. The Queen' ...

and

Edward Jessup Edward Jessup (December24, 1735February3, 1816), together with his brother Ebenezer Jessup (July 1739 – 1818), was a large landowner in present-day New York State before the American Revolution, and later a soldier and political figure in Upp ...

Loyal Rangers The Loyal Rangers, or Jessup's Loyal Rangers, was a volunteer regiment of Loyalists in the American Revolution established in 1781 by the amalgamation of several smaller units, including the King's Loyal Americans. They were commanded by Major Edw ...

during 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 ...

. The family settled in Township No. 2, later Ernestown. His uncle was

Ebenezer Washburn Sgt. Ebenezer Washburn, Esq., J.P., U.E.br>'' (April 8, 1756 – November 12, 1826) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts in 1756 and settled on a farm in what is now Rutland, Ver ...

, a member of the Legislative Assembly who presented Prince Edward County. In 1814, he married Mary Polly Ham. In 1823, Perry took part in the protest against the removal of

Marshall Spring Bidwell Marshall Spring Bidwell (February 16, 1799 – October 24, 1872) was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1799, the son of politician Barnabas Bidwell. His family settled in Bath in Upper C ...

's name from the ballot in a by-election. In 1824, with Bidwell, he was elected to the

9th Parliament of Upper Canada The 9th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 11 January 1825. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1824. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 24 June 1828. The House of Assembly of the 9t ...

representing Lennox and Addington Counties; both remained in office until 1836. Perry supported the resolutions advanced by the reformers in the Assembly; these were usually rejected by the more conservative Legislative Council. He supported the abolition of the

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

and the separation of church and state. In 1831, he introduced legislation to allow clergymen of any recognized denomination to perform marriage ceremonies; that bill was passed. After he was defeated in the election of 1836, he moved to

Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...

, where he established a general store and warehouses at the harbour on Windsor Bay. He also established a store at

Port Perry Port Perry is a community located in Scugog, Ontario, Canada. The town is located northeast of central Toronto and north of Oshawa and Whitby. Port Perry has a population of 9,453 as of 2016. Port Perry serves as the administrative and commerc ...

Lake Scugog Lake Scugog is an artificially flooded lake in Scugog, Regional Municipality of Durham and the unitary city of Kawartha Lakes in central Ontario, Canada. It lies between the communities of Port Perry and Lindsay. The lake has been raised and l ...

; the town was named in honour of him. Although he was not participating in politics himself at the time, he campaigned on behalf of

James Edward Small James Edward Small, (February 1798 – May 27, 1869) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West. He was born in York, Upper Canada in 1798, the son of John Small. He attended the Home District School with Ro ...

and

William Hume Blake William Hume Blake, (10 March 1809 – 15 November 1870) was an Irish-Canadian jurist and politician. He was the father of Edward Blake, an Ontario Premier and federal Liberal party of Canada leader, and the first Chancellor of Upper Canada. H ...

in Whitby. When Blake resigned in 1849, Perry was elected in a by-election as a member of the

Clear Grits Clear Grits were reformers in the Canada West district of the Province of United Canada, a British colony that is now the Province of Ontario, Canada. Their name is said to have been given by David Christie, who said that only those were wanted ...

. Perry's election on Clear Grit principals in 1849 is viewed as the founding election victory in the Clear Grit movement. However, he became ill in early 1850. After a visit with

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 ...

in 1851, he died in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

and buried at Union Cemetery,

Oshawa, Ontario Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the G ...

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

External links

Portrait painting of Peter Perry at ''OurOntario.ca/Whitby''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Peter 1851 deaths 1792 births Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West People from Scugog