Sir James Robert Gowan, (December 22, 1815 – March 18, 1909) was a Canadian lawyer, judge, and senator. Born in Cahore, County Wexford, Ireland, the son of Henry Hatton Gowan and Elizabeth Burkitt, he was educated privately in Dublin. In 1832, he emigrated to Canada and settled outside of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. In 1833, he became a student in the law office of James Edward Small and later practiced law there. He married Anne Ardagh in 1854. They had no children. In 1843, he was appointed judge of the newly created Simcoe District, the largest jurisdiction in Upper Canada. He was the youngest judge ever commissioned in the British empire at the time. He retired in 1883. In 1885, he was appointed a Senator on the advice of

John Alexander Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

representing the

senatorial division Canadian Senate divisions refers to two aspects of the Senate of Canada. First, it refers to the division of Canada into four regional Senate divisions of 24 senators each, as set out in section 22 of the Constitution Act, 1867.The Constitution Act ...

of Barrie, Ontario. A Liberal-Conservative, he served for 22 until his resigning in 1907. He was created a C.M.G. in 1893 and knighted in 1905. He was related to

Ogle Robert Gowan Ogle Robert Gowan (July 13, 1803 – August 21, 1876) was a farmer, Orangeman, journalist and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West. He was born in County Wexford, Ireland in 1803, the son of Hunter Gowan, an Orangeman and small ...

, Emily Gowan Murphy née Ferguson, and

Thomas Roberts Ferguson Thomas Roberts Ferguson (December 1818 – September 15, 1879) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Cardwell in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1873 and Cardwell in the House of Commons of Canada a ...

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gowan, James 1815 births 1909 deaths Upper Canada judges Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian senators from Ontario Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Politicians from County Wexford Judges in Ontario Canadian King's Counsel Canadian people of Irish descent

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