Robert William de Lotbinière-Harwood (October 27, 1826 – June 29, 1897) was a landowner and political figure in Lower Canada and Quebec. He represented Vaudreuil in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as a Liberal-Conservative member from 1872 to 1878.

Career

Harwood was born in Montreal, Lower Canada, the son of

Robert Unwin Harwood Robert Unwin Harwood (January 22, 1798 – April 12, 1863) was the last ''seigneur'' of Vaudreuil, commanding officer of the Vaudreuil Militia, and for thirty years a political figure in Lower Canada and Canada East. Arrival in Canada Har ...

and Marie-Louise-Josephte de Lotbiniere, daughter of

Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière (August 31, 1748 – January 1, 1822), 2nd Marquis de Lotbinière, though to keep political favour with the British he never used the title. He was seigneur of Vaudreuil, Lotbinière and ...

. He was a brother of

Antoine Chartier de Lotbinière Harwood Antoine Chartier de Lotbinière Harwood (April 23, 1825 – August 6, 1891) was a Quebec lawyer and political figure. He represented Vaudreuil in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867 to 1871. He was born in Montreal in 1825, the so ...

and Henry Stanislas Harwood, and a first cousin of Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière served as the

Prime Minister of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the ...

and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. He was educated at the Collège Saint-Sulpice in Montreal, and became a Captain in the Vaudreuil Militia, also serving as a warden for the County of Vaudreuil. Harwood ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Quebec assembly in 1871.''The Canadian parliamentary companion'', HJ Morgan (1873)
/ref> He was defeated in a bid for re-election to the federal seat in 1878 by

Jean-Baptiste Mongenais Jean-Baptiste Mongenais (November 24, 1803 – May 28, 1887) was a Quebec businessman and political figure. He was a Conservative member representing Vaudreuil in the House of Commons of Canada from 1879 to 1882. He was born in Rigaud, Lower ...

. He lived at, and shared ownership of the old Seigneury of Vaudreuil with his siblings and lived there with his wife, Mary Charlotte McGillis (1836–1918). They were married in 1856. She was the daughter of John McGillis (1805–1897), a lawyer of

St. Johns, Quebec Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost navigable point of Lake Champlain. As of De ...

, by his wife Elizabeth (1820–1893), daughter of William Caldwell of Caldwell. John McGillis was the heir to his uncle Hugh McGillis (1767–1848), one of the partners in the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

, who bought the house of Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet in Williamstown, Ontario, which John McGillis inherited and where the future Mrs Harwood was brought up. Harwood's sister, Marie-Louise, also married into the McGillis family. Her husband, Antoine Eustache de Bellefeuille MacDonald was a son of Emily McGillis, Mrs Harwood's aunt. MacDonald was a brother-in-law of William McGillivray, nephew of

Simon McTavish Simon McTavish may refer to * Simon McTavish (kayaker) (born 1996), Canadian sprint kayaker * Simon McTavish (fur trader) Simon McTavish (1750 – 6 July 1804), of Montreal was a Scottish-born fur trader and the chief founding partner ...

and Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet. Harwood died at his home in Vaudreuil, Quebec at the age of 70. His son, Charles-Auguste de Lotbiniere-Harwood (1869–1954) of Vaudreuil, married Marie-Adelaide Masson, granddaughter of

Joseph Masson Joseph Masson (January 5, 1791 – May 15, 1847) was a Canadian businessman, who is considered the first French Canadian millionaire. Seigneur of Terrebonne, Quebec, president of Masson societies, president of the City Gas, he was also vice-p ...

o
Manoir Terrebonne
Quebec. His daughter, Marie-Elizabeth de Lotbiniere-Harwood (1859–1951), married Major-General Sir

Sam Steele Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele (5 January 1848 – 30 January 1919) was a distinguished Canadian soldier and police official. He was an officer of the North-West Mounted Police, most famously as head of the Yukon detachment during the ...

Lord Strathcona's Horse Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH C is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanize ...

Photographs

Robert William Harwood's house at Vaudreuil

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harwood, Robert 1826 births 1897 deaths Politicians from Montreal Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Anglophone Quebec people