Angus Macdonell
Encyclopedia
Angus Macdonell was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Inverness-shire
, Scotland
, the son of Allan McDonell and brother of Alexander Macdonell, and came to the estate of William Johnson
in the Mohawk Valley
of New York
in 1773 as part of a large emigration by members of the MacDonell clan. He left that area at the beginning of the American Revolution
and was educated in Montreal
and Quebec City
.
He became first clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
in 1792 and an attorney in 1794. When Henry Allcock
's election was contested, he ran in an 1801 by-election
in Durham
, Simcoe
& 1st York
and won, defeating John Small
, clerk of the Executive Council
. He introduced the Assessment Act of 1803 which was intended to provide more equal rates.
He was also a founding member of the Law Society of Upper Canada
. In October 1804, he was en route to a trial aboard the HMS Speedy
where he would defend a native person charged with murder. The ship sank in a storm on Lake Ontario
near Brighton
with all hands lost.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
He was born in Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the son of Allan McDonell and brother of Alexander Macdonell, and came to the estate of William Johnson
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish official of the British Empire. As a young man, Johnson came to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Admiral Peter Warren, which was located amidst the Mohawk, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League...
in the Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1773 as part of a large emigration by members of the MacDonell clan. He left that area at the beginning of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and was educated in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
He became first clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
in 1792 and an attorney in 1794. When Henry Allcock
Henry Allcock
Henry Allcock was a judge and political figure in Upper and Lower Canada.His family was from Edgbaston and he was born in Birmingham, England in 1759 and studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London. He was called to the bar in 1791. In 1798, he was appointed judge in the Court of King's Bench of Upper...
's election was contested, he ran in an 1801 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Durham
Durham County, Ontario
Durham County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was named from the English County and city.Durham County was created in 1792. It was composed of the townships of Cartwright, Manvers, Cavan, Darlington, Clarke and Hope, and portions of what is now Peterborough County,...
, Simcoe
Simcoe County, Ontario
Simcoe County is located in central portion of Southern Ontario. The County is situated just north of the Greater Toronto Area stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west...
& 1st York
York County, Ontario
York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
and won, defeating John Small
John Small (1746-1841)
John Small was a political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Cirencester, England in 1746. In 1792, he was appointed clerk of the Executive Council of Upper Canada. He was also a justice of the peace and a lieutenant in the militia.In January 1800, he fought a duel with John White, the...
, clerk of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Upper Canada
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...
. He introduced the Assessment Act of 1803 which was intended to provide more equal rates.
He was also a founding member of the Law Society of Upper Canada
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Upper Canada is responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1797, it is known in French as "Le Barreau du Haut-Canada"...
. In October 1804, he was en route to a trial aboard the HMS Speedy
HMS Speedy (schooner)
The battle schooner or gunboat HMS Speedy sank in a blinding snowstorm in Lake Ontario south of Brighton, Ontario and west of Prince Edward County, on 8 October 1804, with the loss of all hands...
where he would defend a native person charged with murder. The ship sank in a storm on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
near Brighton
Brighton, Ontario
Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal....
with all hands lost.