The Hon. Christopher Dunkin, (September 25, 1812 – January 6, 1881) was a Canadian editor, lawyer, teacher, judge, and politician.

Early life

Born at Walworth, London,

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, he was the son of Summerhayes Dunkin (1779-1823), of

Horsleydown Southwark St John Horsleydown was a small parish on the south bank of the River Thames in London, opposite the Tower of London. The name Horsleydown, apparently derived from the "horse lie-down" next to the river, is no longer used. The p ...

Bermondsey Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckha ...

, and Martha, daughter of John Hemming (1760–1825) of

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. He was a first cousin of Hon. Edward John Hemming who came to Canada at his invitation. His family emigrated to

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in 1821, but his father died two years later, and his widow got remarried to the eccentric English surgeon, Jonathan Barber (1784–1864), Professor of

Elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

at Harvard and

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Universities, and Professor of

Public speaking Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. The "exceptionally intelligent" Dunkin had returned to Britain to study classics and mathematics at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

and the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

but graduated from neither. In 1831, Dunkin rejoined his mother and stepfather in North America, continuing his education at Harvard University for two more years. Again, he did not graduate, but Harvard still awarded him an honorary degree and appointed him tutor of

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and

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for 1834–35. That did not go well for him. His

Freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. A ...

class provoked what became known as the ''Dunkin Rebellion'' in which classroom furniture and windows were broken, followed by disruptions in morning and evening prayers. Dunkin's contract was not renewed.

Legal career

As a loyal British subject and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, Dunkin did not hold a favourable view of life in the United States and instead left for

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, where British patriotic fervour was at its peak. In 1837, he gained his first employment in

as a correspondent for the ''Morning Courier''. The following year, he was appointed secretary to the Education Commission and then to the Postal Service Commission before he became Deputy Provincial Secretary for

Canada East Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new c ...

, an office he retained from 1842 to 1847. His diplomatic nature enabled him to work easily between all of the political parties at a turbulent time in Canadian politics. In his spare time, Dunkin had started studying law in the offices of Alexander Buchanan and then Francis Godschall Johnson and was called to the Bar in 1846. He became a partner in what was then Montreal's most prestigious law firm, Meredith & Bethune. In 1849, the founding partner, Meredith, accepted a judicial position in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

and soon afterwards, Dunkin left to set up his own practice in the

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (french: Cantons de l'Est) is an historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby in the southwest, to Drummondv ...

, which was beginning to flourish but lacked talented lawyers. He established himself at Knowlton, Quebec.

Political career

He was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Uppe ...

in 1857 for the Quebec riding of Drummond—Arthabaska. He then represented the riding of Brome from 1862 until 1867. In 1864, he introduced a temperance act, known as the Dunkin Act. Dunkin was acclaimed for the Brome seat in the

1st Canadian Parliament The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867, until July 8, 1872. The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867. It was prorogued prior to the 1872 election. It was controlled by a ...

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

; he also represented the same riding provincially from 1867 to 1871. He was acclaimed again in 1869 by-election after he was appointed

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

. He resigned in 1871 when he was appointed a

Puisne Justice A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

of the

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Que ...

Electoral record

By-election: On Mr. Dunkin being called to the Privy Council and appointed Minister of Agriculture, 16 November 1869

References

* * *
Biography from the Ministry of Agriculture

External links

Dr Jonathan Barber's Unlikely Odyssey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunkin, Christopher 1812 births 1881 deaths Harvard University alumni Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East Lawyers in Quebec Judges in Quebec Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs People from Walworth