Solomon Yeomans Chesley (April 29, 1796 – November 5, 1880) was a public servant and political figure in Canada West. He was born in Shodack in

Rensselaer County, New York Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the l ...

in 1796 and came to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

with his parents in 1800. In 1806, he settled on Mohawk land at St. Regis; he became fluent in the language and became an interpreter in the

Indian Department The Indian Department was established in 1755 to oversee relations between the British Empire and the First Nations of North America. The imperial government ceded control of the Indian Department to the Province of Canada in 1860, thus setting ...

. He served during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, becoming lieutenant of the St Regis Company of Indian Warriors in 1814. In 1832, he became superintendent at St Regis. Chesley created some controversy in 1835 when he arranged for a schoolmaster to teach there without consulting the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.Geo. Mainer, "Chesley, Solomon Yeomans", ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', Vol. X (1871-1880).
/ref> He first sought elected office in 1836, when he stood for election to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada as a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

, but was defeated. In 1841, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the new

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

, serving one term as member for

. He was one of the Family Compact Tories in the Assembly who supported the union of the Canadas, but opposed

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Lord Sydenham's attempt to build a broad base of support in the Assembly, for his government, including

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as well as Tories. While in office, he opposed the development of the

Beauharnois Canal The Beauharnois Canal is located in southwestern Quebec, Canada. The canal is part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Located in Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality within the cities of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Beauharnois, Saint-L ...

which led to some land at St Regis being submerged. He continued working with the Indian Department until 1859, when it was transferred from the British government to the government of the Province of Canada. He retired that year, having served several times as acting superintendent-general and being the longest-serving member of the Indian Department. On his retirement, Chesley returned to Cornwall. In 1860, he was elected mayor of the city, serving for one year. He later moved to Ottawa. In 1872, he became a member of the New England Company, a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

society which promoted education for native people. Chelsey died at

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 1880. The town of Chesley in Bruce County was named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesley, Solomon 1796 births 1880 deaths Canadian people of the War of 1812 Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Mayors of Cornwall, Ontario