Robert Duncan Wilmot, (16 October 1809 – 13 February 1891) was a

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politician and a

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Early life and family

Wilmot was born in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

, New Brunswick on 16 October 1809. He was the son of John McNeil and Susanna (Susan) Harriet (born Wiggins) Wilmot. He moved to Saint John with his family at around the age of five, and there he was educated. In 1833 he married Susannah (Susan) Elizabeth Mowat of St Andrews. His father,

John McNeil Wilmot John McNeil Wilmot (May 3, 1775 – September 7, 1847) was a businessman, judge and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented St. John County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1820 to 1827, and from 1835 to 1842. He w ...

, was a big tank and ship owner. Wilmot worked for his father's business and represented the company in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, England from 1835 to 1840. It is there that his son, Robert Duncan Wilmot, Jr., a future Member of Parliament, was born.

Political career

New Brunswick

Wilmot served as mayor of Saint John from 1849 to 1850. He represented Saint John County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

from 1847 to 1861, and from 1865 to 1867, and was member of the Executive Council of New Brunswick, serving as the

Surveyor-General A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor gen ...

from 1851 to 1854, and provincial secretary from 1856 to 1857. He was a New Brunswick delegate to the London Conference of 1866, which settled the final terms for

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominio ...

Federal politics

Following Confederation, he was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the ...

on 23 October 1867 by royal proclamation, and represented the Senate division of

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) 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. It is the only province with both English and ...

. In 1878, he became Speaker of the Senate, and was also a member of the ministry of John A. Macdonald.

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick

Wilmot resigned from the Senate on 10 February 1880 and was appointed the sixth

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the viceregal representative in New Brunswick of the , who operates distinctly wi ...

. He served in that position until 1885.

Death

Wilmot died at his estate in

Sunbury County Sunbury County (2016 population 27,644) is located in central New Brunswick, Canada. A large military base (CFB Gagetown) is located in the western part of the county south of the town of Oromocto. The county also hosts forestry and mixed farm ...

at the age of 81. His home was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 1975. He is buried in Sunbury County Oromocto Anglican Church cemetery on Broad Road.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmot, Robert Duncan 1809 births 1891 deaths Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Lieutenant Governors of New Brunswick Speakers of the Senate of Canada Canadian senators from New Brunswick Fathers of Confederation Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Mayors of Saint John, New Brunswick Politicians from Fredericton Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Provincial Secretaries of New Brunswick