William Andrew Charlton, (May 9, 1841 – November 9, 1930) was a Canadian lumber merchant, businessman and politician. Born in

Cattaraugus County, New York Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

, the son of Adam Charlton, he immigrated to Canada in 1849 with his family. In 1869, he married Nellie Rockwell. Charlton entered politics and was first elected to the

Ontario legislature The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

as the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly for Norfolk South in the 1890 general election and served until 1904.Legislative Assembly biography
/ref> He served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1903-1904 and was Commissioner of Public Works from 1904 until 1905. Charlton moved to federal politics and won a seat 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 the federal Liberal Member of Parliament for Norfolk in the 1911 federal election. During the

Conscription Crisis of 1917 The Conscription Crisis of 1917 (french: Crise de la conscription de 1917) was a political and military crisis in Canada during World War I. It was mainly caused by disagreement on whether men should be conscripted to fight in the war, but also b ...

, he supported the government of Sir Robert Borden and

crossed the floor Crossed may refer to: * ''Crossed'' (comics), a 2008 comic book series by Garth Ennis * ''Crossed'' (novel), a 2010 young adult novel by Ally Condie * "Crossed" (''The Walking Dead''), an episode of the television series ''The Walking Dead'' S ...

Members of the House of Commons who Crossed the Floor of the House of Commons or who Changed Parties
/ref> to run in the 1917 federal election as a Liberal-Unionist in support of Borden's new

Union government The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

defeating

Laurier-Liberal Prior to the 1917 federal election in Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two factions. To differentiate the groups, historians tend to use two retrospective names: * The Laurier Liberals, who opposed conscription of soldiers to supp ...

candidate John Alexander Wallace.History of Federal Ridings: Norfolk
/ref> In 1921, he was named to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. His brother, John M. Charlton, also served in the House of Commons.

References

External links

* * *
''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1897'' JA Gemmill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, William 1841 births 1930 deaths Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal-Unionist MPs in Canada Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada