Thomas Nickleson Jeffery (1782 – October 21, 1847) was a colonial official and politician in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) 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. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He was born in Dorset, England. In 1798 he became an audit clerk in London and was, due to assistance from

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

, appointed collector of customs in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. Though the salary was small Jefferey benefitted from lucrative fees. In 1805 he married Martha Maria Uniacke, daughter of

Richard John Uniacke Richard John Uniacke (November 22, 1753 – October 11, 1830) was an abolitionist, lawyer, politician, member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and Attorney General of Nova Scotia. According to historian Brian Cutherburton, Uniacke was "t ...

who was one of the wealthiest men and influential figures in the province. In 1810, Jeffery was appointed to the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

and supported Uniacke's high church

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 ...

ism. In 1828 and again in 1834, Jeffrey was Acting

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the viceregal representative in Nova Scotia of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonwealt ...

pending the arrival of permanent viceroys. Joseph Howe praised Jeffrey's administration in 1834 writing that “Mr. Jeffery’s administration has been highly acceptable to all classes,” and stating that Jeffrey had attempted “on all occasions . . . to preserve the peace and promote the welfare of the country.” When the

Legislative 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 as p ...

and Executive Council of Nova Scotia were split into separate bodies in 1838, Jeffery was appointed to the latter institution. He resigned in 1840 to make room for the appointment of members of the Reform party. In 1815, Jeffrey was given responsibility for the settlement of

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

refugees following 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 ...

and settled some families on his lands by the Shubenacadie River.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffery, Thomas Nickleson 1782 births 1847 deaths Governors of the Colony of Nova Scotia Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia