James Duperon Bâby (August 25, 1763 – February 19, 1833) was a judge and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

Biography

He was born Jacques Bâby, the son of Jacques Bâby dit Duperon, to a prosperous family in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in 1763. His last name is pronounced "Baw-bee" and has been anglicized in different lines (e.g., Baubie, Bauby). He was educated in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, where his uncle, François Bâby, lived. In 1792, he was appointed to the Executive Council and

Legislative Council of Upper Canada The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist ...

and became lieutenant for Kent County. In 1793, he was appointed judge in the Western District. After the

Jay Treaty The Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, commonly known as the Jay Treaty, and also as Jay's Treaty, was a 1794 treaty between the United States and Great Britain that averted ...

in 1795, the Bâby family left the Detroit area and moved to Sandwich (now Windsor). (Today, his

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

is owned by the

Ontario Heritage Trust The Ontario Heritage Trust () is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural heritage of Canada's most populous province, Ontario. ...

and is used for government offices.) Over the years, the family acquired large amounts of land in the western region of Upper Canada. Bâby was put in charge of the 1st Kent militia. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Sandwich was seized by the

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

, and Bâby was later taken prisoner at the

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, ...

. During the American occupation, his property suffered extensive damage. In 1815, he was appointed Inspector General and moved to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(now

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

), where he was a politician, judge, wealthy landowner, and part of the ruling clique known as the

Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today's Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in L ...

. In 1816, he purchased land on the east bank of the Humber, formerly the site of the Seneca ''

Teiaiagon Teiaiagon, or Taiaiako'n, was an Iroquoian village on the east bank of the Humber River in what is now the York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was located along the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail. The site is near the current intersecti ...

'' village, land where a neighbourhood known as Baby Point is located. In 1823, he represented Upper Canada in resolving a dispute with

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

over the sharing of customs revenues. A

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, he helped establish the first Catholic church at York, St. Paul's. The Baby family had enslaved at least 17 black and indigenous people in the 18th and early 19th century in Canada. James Baby opposed Lieutenant Governor

John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...

's effort to precipitately abolish slavery outright in Upper Canada. The resulting compromise legislation the Act Against Slavery passed in 1793 prohibited the buying or trading in enslaved people. The Act however allowed existing slave owners to continue enslaving people until slavery's outright abolition in 1834 in the British Empire by the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act.

Personal

He died at York in 1833.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baby, James James Baby Beaubien–Casgrain family 1763 births 1833 deaths People from British Detroit Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada Canadian people of the War of 1812 Upper Canada judges Canadian Roman Catholics