Robert Carter (1791 – May 25, 1872) was a

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

naval officer and political figure. He was born in Ferryland, the son of judge William Carter, and joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

as a young man, retiring as a lieutenant in 1815. Later that year, he was named surrogate magistrate after the death of his brother William, serving until 1826. In 1832, Carter was elected to represent Ferryland in the first general election held in Newfoundland. He was defeated in 1836, but went on to represent Bonavista Bay from 1842 to 1852 and from 1855 to 1859 and Fortune Bay from 1859 to 1865. Carter also served as a road commissioner for Ferryland and as supervisor of streets for St. John's from 1846 to 1848. In 1849, he was named colonial treasurer and governor of the Newfoundland Savings Bank; he held on to these posts until he was forced out of office by Governor Sir

Charles Henry Darling Sir Charles Henry Darling (19 February 1809 – 25 January 1870) was a British colonial governor. Biography He was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Major-General Henry Darling and nephew of General Sir Ralph Darling. He was ed ...

in 1855. Carter served as colonial secretary from 1861 to 1865, retiring from politics later that year. He died in St John's in 1872.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Robert 1791 births 1872 deaths Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Newfoundland Colony people Colonial Secretaries of Newfoundland