James Edward Small
| James Edward Small | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for York | |
|
In office 1834–1844 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 1798 York, Upper Canada |
| Died |
May 27, 1869 (aged 71) London, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Reform |
| Occupation | lawyer, judge |
James Edward Small, QC (February 1798 – May 27, 1869) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West.[1]
He was born in York (Toronto) in 1798, the son of John Small.[1][2] He attended the Home District School with Robert Baldwin. During the War of 1812, he served on the ship St. Lawrence. In 1817, he was the second for John Ridout in a duel with Samuel Peters Jarvis; Ridout was killed. Small articled in law with William Warren Baldwin and was called to the bar in 1821.
In 1831 Small and his younger brother, Charles Coxwell Small, inherited their father's large house on the southwest corner of what is now Berkeley and King streets.[3]
In 1834, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada in Toronto. He was elected in an 1839 by-election in the 3rd riding of York;[1] he was reelected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1841. Small supported Robert Baldwin's call for responsible government; in 1842, he was named solicitor general for Canada West in the Baldwin-Lafontaine government. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1842. He resigned from his post as solicitor general in 1843. He was reelected in 1844 but was later disqualified and George Monro was declared elected. In 1849, he was appointed judge in Middlesex County.
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography, while noting Small was born into a life of privilege, had nevertheless allied himself with relatively liberal figures, like his school chum, Robert Baldwin, Upper Canada's prime advocate for responsible government.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Small, James Edward". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
Small owed his successes in life as much to his background as to any innate abilities, for he was not a man of forceful personality and he suffered from ill health. He was, however, like Baldwin, one of those who took a direction different from others of their class. Never at the centre of the stage, his loyalty to Baldwin and his political moderation were assets that helped in the transition to responsible government.
- ↑ "Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Small, John". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
He launched one son, James Edward*, on a successful career as a lawyer and reform politician; the youngest, Charles Coxwell, succeeded him in the clerkship of the crown and pleas as well as in his militia commission. His house at York, handsomely rebuilt by Charles Coxwell, stood until 1925.
- ↑ "Park Lot 3: Parliament Street to Ontario Street". Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch.