William Cottnam Tonge (April 29, 1764 – August 6, 1832) was a judge and political figure 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 represented Hants County from 1793 to 1799 and from 1806 to 1811 and Newport Township from 1799 to 1806 in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

. He was born in

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Highway 101. The community has a history dating back to its use by the Mi'kmaq Nation for sev ...

, the son of

Winckworth Tonge Winckworth Tonge (4 February 1727 – 2 February 1792) was an Anglo-Irish soldier who served in North America, where he became a land owner and political figure in Nova Scotia after his military service. He represented Cumberland County f ...

and Martha Grace Cottnam. He was trained as an attorney and served as deputy to his father, Nova Scotia's naval officer; he succeeded his father in that post in 1792. Tonge also was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and served as judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for

Hants County Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

. In 1793, he married Elizabeth Bonnell. Tonge suffered financial losses and was forced to sell much of the family property. Although he was able to secure some military contracts, his attempts to improve his finances through patronage were blocked by the lieutenant governor John Wentworth. In 1799, Tonge was elected in a Halifax County seat as well as in Hants County; his election was overturned because he held no property there and Michael Wallace, a supporter of Wentworth, was declared elected. Tonge became the centre of a dispute between the lieutenant governor and the assembly over control of expenditures in the province in the legislative session that followed. In 1805, he became speaker following the resignation 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 ...

from that post. In 1806, Wentworth dismissed Tonge from his post as provincial naval officer. Tonge's attempts to have himself reinstated were unsuccessful. However, the conflicts between Wentworth and the assembly led to the lieutenant governor being replaced in 1808. Later that year,

George Prevost George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

, the new lieutenant governor, named Tonge deputy commissary general for the

Invasion of Martinique (1809) The invasion of Martinique was a successful British amphibious operation against the French colony of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the West Indies campaign of 1804–1810 of the Napoleonic Wars. Marti ...

. He later settled in

Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is t ...

, where he died at the age of 68. His daughter

Grizelda Elizabeth Cottnam Tonge Grizelda Elizabeth Cottnam Tonge, who wrote under the name Portia, (1803-1825) was a Nova Scotian poet who has been called the "highly-gifted songstress of Acadia." Tonge's poetic talent, combined with the tragic circumstances of her early death, b ...

became a well-known local poet of the time.

Legacy

* Tonge's son William Cottnam Tonge is the namesake of Tonge Hill,

West Hants Historical Society - Winckworth Tonge
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References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonge, William Cottnam 1764 births 1832 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Speakers of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly