Calvin Britain
Encyclopedia
Calvin Britain was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan
.
. He came to Michigan in 1827 and was the first settler in the town of St. Joseph
. He laid out the village of St. Joseph, first known as Newburyport. He acquired land in 1827 and 1829, which was surveyed by the government in 1830.
Britain came from New York to Michigan in 1827 and for a time was a teacher at the Carey Mission
at Niles, Michigan
. In 1829 he and Augustus Newell acquired the lands on which the business portion of St. Joseph was later built. In 1831 he built St. Joseph's first hotel, known as the "Mansion House", and laid out the plat of the village. Britain also built a warehouse and bought and sold real estate.
As a Democrat
, Britain was a member of the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory
from 1832 to 1835, Michigan Senate
from 1835 to 1837, Michigan House of Representatives from 1847 to 1851, and member of the Constitutional Convention of 1850. Due to changes to the Michigan Constitution
adopted at that convention, he was elected to a one-year term as the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
with Governor Robert McClelland
.
Britain never married and resided in St. Joseph until his death there in 1862. He is interred at Lakeview/City Cemetery of St. Joseph.
Calvin Township
in Cass County, Michigan
, is named for him.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Britain was born in Jefferson County, New YorkJefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...
. He came to Michigan in 1827 and was the first settler in the town of St. Joseph
St. Joseph, Michigan
St. Joseph is a city in the US state of Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,789. It lies on the shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, about east-northeast of Chicago. It is the county...
. He laid out the village of St. Joseph, first known as Newburyport. He acquired land in 1827 and 1829, which was surveyed by the government in 1830.
Britain came from New York to Michigan in 1827 and for a time was a teacher at the Carey Mission
Carey Mission
The Carey Mission was established by Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy among the Potawatomi tribe of American Indians on the St. Joseph River near Niles, Michigan, USA in December, 1822. It was named for William Carey, a noted English Baptist missionary...
at Niles, Michigan
Niles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
. In 1829 he and Augustus Newell acquired the lands on which the business portion of St. Joseph was later built. In 1831 he built St. Joseph's first hotel, known as the "Mansion House", and laid out the plat of the village. Britain also built a warehouse and bought and sold real estate.
As a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Britain was a member of the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
from 1832 to 1835, Michigan Senate
Michigan Senate
The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....
from 1835 to 1837, Michigan House of Representatives from 1847 to 1851, and member of the Constitutional Convention of 1850. Due to changes to the Michigan Constitution
Michigan Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government....
adopted at that convention, he was elected to a one-year term as the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
with Governor Robert McClelland
Robert McClelland (American politician)
Robert McClelland was a U.S. statesman, serving as U.S. Representative from Michigan, the ninth Governor of Michigan, and United States Secretary of the Interior.-Early life in Pennsylvania:...
.
Britain never married and resided in St. Joseph until his death there in 1862. He is interred at Lakeview/City Cemetery of St. Joseph.
Calvin Township
Calvin Township, Michigan
Calvin Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
in Cass County, Michigan
Cass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
, is named for him.