The Executive Council of Upper Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usually members of the Legislative Council. Members were appointed, often for life. The first five members were appointed in July 1792. The Council was dissolved on February 10, 1841 when Upper and Lower Canada were united into the Province of Canada. It was replaced by the Executive Council of the Province of Canada in 1841.
After the War of 1812, the Executive Council was dominated by members of the Family Compact, an elite clique based in York.
List of Members of the Executive Council
| Member | Town | Start | Stop | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Baby | Sandwich | July 9 1792 | February 19 1833 | died in office |
| Alexander Grant, Sr. | York | July 9 1792 | May, 1813 | died in office |
| William Osgoode | York | July 9 1792 | July 1794 | to Lower Canada |
| William Robertson | Sandwich | July 9 1792 | November 4 1792 | resigned |
| Peter Russell | York | July 9 1792 | September 30 1808 | died in office |
| Æneas Shaw 1 | York | June 21 1794 | 1807 | retired |
| Jacob Mountain | Quebec City | June 10 1794 | N/A | never attended |
| John Elmsley, Sr. | York | January 1 1796 | July 1802 | Chief Justice of Upper Canada 1801, moved to Montreal as Chief Justice of Lower Canada 1802 |
| John McGill | York | March 2 1796 | August 13 1818 | became Receiver General of Upper Canada (5 October 1813 to 2 December 1819) |
| David William Smith | ? | March 2 1796 | July 1802 | left Canada |
| Henry Allcock | York | October 14 1802 | September 1804 | moved to Lower Canada to become Chief Justice and member of the Executive Council of Lower Canada 1805 |
| Thomas Scott | York | April 8 1805 | August 1816 | granted a pension and retired |
| William Dummer Powell | York | October 8 1808 | September 1825 | resigned office |
| Prideaux Selby | York | October 8 1808 | May 9 1813 | died in office |
| Isaac Brock | York | September 30 1812 | October 13 1812 | died in office |
| Roger Hale Sheaffe | ? | October 20 1812 | June 4 1813 | replaced after being recalled to England |
| Baron Francis de Rottenburg | ? | June 19 1813 | N/A | never attended |
| Gordon Drummond | ? | November 4 1813 | March 1814 | became Governor-General and Administrator of Canada |
| Samuel Smith | Etobicoke | November 30 1813 | October 1825 | retired |
| John Strachan 2 | York | May 11 1815 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| William Claus | Niagara | February 12 1818 | September 1824 | retired? died of cancer 1826 |
| George Herchmer Markland 4 | York | October 22 1822 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| Peter Robinson | York | December 24 1823 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| James Buchanan Macaulay | York | May 5 1825 | July 1829 | resigned and appointed temporary judge of the Court of Queen's Bench, later as permanent judge |
| William Campbell | York | October 26 1825 | March 1828 | unable to attend due to poor health and retired 1829 |
| John Beverley Robinson | York | April 25 1829 | January 25 1831 | resigned |
| Joseph Wells | York | September 13 1830 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| John Elmsley, Jr. | York | September 20 1830 | 1841 | retired to management of his personal business |
| Robert Baldwin | Toronto | February 20 1836 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| John Henry Dunn | Toronto | February 20 1836 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| John Rolph | Toronto | February 20 1836 | March 12 1836 | resigned 3 |
| William Allan | Toronto | March 14 1836 | February 10 1841 | retired |
| Augustus Warren Baldwin | Toronto | March 14 1836 | February 10 1841 | re-appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada |
| John Elmsley, Jr. | Toronto | March 14 1836 | January 8 1839 | second term |
| Robert Baldwin Sullivan | Toronto | March 14 1836 | February 10 1841 | not re-appointed; later appointed to the Queen's Bench |
| William Henry Draper | Toronto | December 27 1836 | February 10 1841 | elected to the 1st Parliament of the United Canadas 1841 |
| Richard Alexander Tucker | Kingston | December 8 1838 | February 10 1841 | appointed registrar of the Province of Canada in 1841-1851; retired to England 1851 |
Notes:
- Æneas Shaw was an honorary member after 1803.
- The Reverend John Strachan was an honorary member until July 25, 1817.
- On March 12, 1836, all members of the council resigned to protest when the new Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Bond Head refused to consult with his council.
- George Markland was an honorary member until July 6 1827.
References
- Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology, Frederick H. Armstrong, Toronto : Dundurn Press, 1985. ISBN 0-919670-92-X
External links
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