John Neilson
Encyclopedia
John Neilson was a Scots-Quebecer
editor of the newspaper La Gazette de Québec/The Quebec Gazette
and a politician.
, Neilson arrived in Quebec City
, Lower Canada
in 1791 to work for his uncle's printing company, which he inherited in 1793. Elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
in a partial election in 1818, he was re-elected until 1830 and supported the Parti canadien
. In 1823, he accompanied Louis-Joseph Papineau
to London
to lobby against the Union project in the name of the majority of the MPs in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
. Again, in 1828 he was part of a delegation sent to London
(UK
) to present his party's demands for reform. In 1830, he took his distance from the Parti patriote, which he considered to be too radical. He opposed the Ninety-Two Resolutions
of 1834, a rewrite of the 1828 demands for reform with a radical tone. In 1837, he was named to the Executive Council and Legislative Council
; Nielson was a member of the Special Council
that administered Lower Canada after the Lower Canada Rebellion
.
He opposed the Union after its enactment. In 1841, he was elected to the 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada
in the riding of Quebec County. He was elected speaker, but in 1844 was appointed to the Legislative Council
.
He died at Cap-Rouge
in 1848.
His daughters:
One of his grand-daughters Isabel Neilson married Charles Stuart Wolff the son of Lt. Col. Alexander Joseph Wolff a British soldier who established in Valcartier, Canada in 1824.
Scots-Quebecer
The Scot-Quebecers , are Quebecers who are of Scottish descent.-Background:Few Scots came to Quebec before the Seven Years War. Those who did blended in with the French population...
editor of the newspaper La Gazette de Québec/The Quebec Gazette
Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph
The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, founded by William Brown as the Quebec Gazette on 21 June 1764, claims to be the oldest newspaper in North America...
and a politician.
Biography
Born in Dornal, ScotlandScotland
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...
, Neilson arrived in 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...
, Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
in 1791 to work for his uncle's printing company, which he inherited in 1793. Elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
in a partial election in 1818, he was re-elected until 1830 and supported the Parti canadien
Parti canadien
The Parti canadien or Parti patriote was a political party in what is now Quebec founded by members of the liberal elite of Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century...
. In 1823, he accompanied Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to lobby against the Union project in the name of the majority of the MPs in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
. Again, in 1828 he was part of a delegation sent to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) to present his party's demands for reform. In 1830, he took his distance from the Parti patriote, which he considered to be too radical. He opposed the Ninety-Two Resolutions
Ninety-Two Resolutions
The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the Parti patriote of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony....
of 1834, a rewrite of the 1828 demands for reform with a radical tone. In 1837, he was named to the Executive Council and Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Lower Canada
The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. The legislative council was...
; Nielson was a member of the Special Council
Special Council of Lower Canada
The Special Council of Lower Canada was an appointed body which administered Lower Canada until the Union Act of 1840 created the Province of Canada. Following the Lower Canada Rebellion, on March 27, 1838, the Constitutional Act of 1791 was suspended and both the Legislative Assembly and...
that administered Lower Canada after the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
.
He opposed the Union after its enactment. In 1841, he was elected to the 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada
1st Parliament of the Province of Canada
The 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada was in session from June 15, 1841 to 1843. Elections were held in the Province of Canada in April 1841. All sessions were held at Kingston, Canada West....
in the riding of Quebec County. He was elected speaker, but in 1844 was appointed to the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...
.
He died at Cap-Rouge
Cap-Rouge, Quebec
Cap-Rouge is located in central Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River within Quebec City. Originally a town on its own, Cap-Rouge was incorporated within Québec on January 1, 2002 and is now part of the Borough Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge.-History:...
in 1848.
Works
- Aux electeurs du comté de Quebec/To the Electors of the County of Quebec, 1820
- Letter from L.J. Papineau and J. Neilson, Esqs., Addressed to His Majesty's Under Secretary of State on the Subject of the Proposed Union of the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada., 1823 (online)
- Report of the Special Committee of the House of Assembly of Lower-Canada, on the Petitions Against the Road Laws and the Office of Grand-Voyer, 1830
- Rapport du Comité spécial de la Chambre d'assemblée sur le Département du bureau de la poste dans la province du Bas-Canada, 1831
- Report of the Commissioners Appointed under the Lower Canada Act, 4th William IV. cap. 10, to Visit the United States' Penitentiaries, 1835
- First report. The Select Committee Appointed to Investigate and Report on the Outrages Alleged to Have Been Committed at the General Election in the Counties of Terrebonne, Montreal, Vaudreuil, Beauharnois, Chambly and Rouville, 1843
Family information
His Sons:- Samuel Neilson (1800-1837)
- William Neilson (1805-1895) married Margaret Cassin
- John Jr. Neilson (1820-1896) married Laura Moorehead
His daughters:
- Isabel Neilson (1798-1873)
- Mary Neilson married notary Thomas LeeThomas Lee (notary)Thomas Lee was a notary, merchant and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born Thomas Lée in the town of Quebec in 1783, the son of merchant Jean-Thomas Lée, and studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec. He articled as a notary, qualified to practice in 1805 and set up practice at Quebec. He...
- Elisabeth Neilson (1804-1804)
- Margaret Neilson (1808-1894)
- Janet Neilson (1810- )
- Agnes Janet Neilson (1815-1837)
- Frances Neilson (1815- )
One of his grand-daughters Isabel Neilson married Charles Stuart Wolff the son of Lt. Col. Alexander Joseph Wolff a British soldier who established in Valcartier, Canada in 1824.
See also
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....
- Lower Canada RebellionLower Canada RebellionThe Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...