Lemuel Allan Wilmot
Encyclopedia
Lemuel Allan Wilmot was a Canadian
lawyer, politician, and judge.
Born in Sunbury County, New Brunswick, the son of William Wilmot and Hannah Bliss, Wilmot was educated at the Fredericton grammar school and at King’s College. He started articling law in 1825, became an attorney in 1830, and was admitted to the bar in 1832. He was created a queen’s counsel in 1838.
From 1834 to 1851, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
and was a Reformer
. Responsible government
was granted in 1848 and Wilmot served as Attorney-General from 1848 to 1851. From 1851 to 1868 he was a judge but was also outspoken in his support of Canadian confederation
which was achieved in 1867. He was the third Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
from 1868 to 1873.
Wilmot had strong anti-Catholic and anti-French views once saying “Lower Canada
would [not] be tranquillised and restored to a proper state, till all the French distinguishing marks were utterly abolished, and the English laws, language and institutions, universally established throughout the Province.”
In 1837, James Pierce, the publisher of the paper The Gleaner and Northumberland Schediasma was arrested and jailed for printing that Wilmot had "told an untruth" in the House of Assembly
. He was held in York County Jail for 22 days, but he was released without charge after much criticism in other papers about freedom of the press
.
A Methodist
, he was the first non-conformist
to serve as Attorney-General or as a judge in New Brunswick
. He died in Fredericton in 1878.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyer, politician, and judge.
Born in Sunbury County, New Brunswick, the son of William Wilmot and Hannah Bliss, Wilmot was educated at the Fredericton grammar school and at King’s College. He started articling law in 1825, became an attorney in 1830, and was admitted to the bar in 1832. He was created a queen’s counsel in 1838.
From 1834 to 1851, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is located in Fredericton. It was established de jure when the colony was created in 1784, but only came in to session in 1786 following the first elections in late 1785. Until 1891, it was the lower house in a bicameral legislature when its upper house...
and was a Reformer
Reform Party (pre-Confederation)
The Reform movement, sometimes referred to as the Reform Party, began in the 1830s as the movement in the English speaking parts of British North America . It agitated for responsible government....
. Responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
was granted in 1848 and Wilmot served as Attorney-General from 1848 to 1851. From 1851 to 1868 he was a judge but was also outspoken in his support of Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
which was achieved in 1867. He was the third Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
The Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick or Lieutenante-gouverneure du Nouveau-Brunswick) is the viceregal representative in New Brunswick of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada...
from 1868 to 1873.
Wilmot had strong anti-Catholic and anti-French views once saying “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...
would [not] be tranquillised and restored to a proper state, till all the French distinguishing marks were utterly abolished, and the English laws, language and institutions, universally established throughout the Province.”
In 1837, James Pierce, the publisher of the paper The Gleaner and Northumberland Schediasma was arrested and jailed for printing that Wilmot had "told an untruth" in the House of Assembly
Nova Scotia House of Assembly
The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...
. He was held in York County Jail for 22 days, but he was released without charge after much criticism in other papers about freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
.
A Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, he was the first non-conformist
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
to serve as Attorney-General or as a judge in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. He died in Fredericton in 1878.