Stephen Sewell (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Sewell was a lawyer and political figure in Lower Canada
.
He was born Stephen Sewall in Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 1770, the son of Jonathan Sewall
who was the attorney general of Massachusetts
, and returned to England
with his family at the start of the American Revolution
, where he attended Bristol Grammar School
. In 1787, he travelled to New Brunswick
where his brother Jonathan
had already settled; he articled in law there with Ward Chipman
and was called to the bar in 1791. Later in 1791, he moved to Montreal
, qualified as a lawyer there and set up practice. Sewell served in the local militia, becoming captain in 1812. In 1809, he was named solicitor general for Lower Canada. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
in 1809 for Huntingdon
and was elected for Montreal East in 1810. He was dismissed from his office as solicitor general in 1816 after it was revealed that he had submitted documents published in the Montreal Herald that were critical of Governor George Prevost
's administration. Sewell was named King's Counsel in 1827. He served as a commissioner during the construction of the Lachine Canal
. Sewell helped found the Natural History Society of Montreal and served as its president. He was the first president of the Montreal bar library and also served as solitictor for the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning during the transfer of that part of James McGill
's property which became the site of McGill College
.
He died of cholera
in Montreal in 1832.
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...
.
He was born Stephen Sewall in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
in 1770, the son of Jonathan Sewall
Jonathan Sewall
Jonathan Sewall was the last British attorney general of Massachusetts.He was born in Boston on August 24, 1729 to Jonathan and Mary Sewall. Sewall's father was an unsuccessful merchant who died at a young age...
who was the attorney general of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his family at the start 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...
, where he attended Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School
Bristol Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England. The school was founded in 1532 by two brothers, Robert and Nicholas Thorne....
. In 1787, he travelled to 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...
where his brother Jonathan
Jonathan Sewell
Jonathan Sewell was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada.-Early life:He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of the last British attorney general of Massachusetts...
had already settled; he articled in law there with Ward Chipman
Ward Chipman
Ward Chipman was a New Brunswick lawyer, judge and political figure. He briefly served as administrator for New Brunswick from 1823 until his death in 1824.-Early life:...
and was called to the bar in 1791. Later in 1791, he moved to 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...
, qualified as a lawyer there and set up practice. Sewell served in the local militia, becoming captain in 1812. In 1809, he was named solicitor general for Lower Canada. He was 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 1809 for Huntingdon
Huntingdon County, Quebec
Huntingdon County, is an historical county in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is named after the town and county of the same name in east central England. It is situated in the Montreal South Shore region of Montérégie, one of the roughly 12 regions of Quebec...
and was elected for Montreal East in 1810. He was dismissed from his office as solicitor general in 1816 after it was revealed that he had submitted documents published in the Montreal Herald that were critical of Governor George Prevost
George Prevost
Sir George Prévost, 1st Baronet was a British soldier and colonial administrator. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the eldest son of Swiss French Augustine Prévost, he joined the British Army as a youth and became a captain in 1784. Prévost served in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary...
's administration. Sewell was named King's Counsel in 1827. He served as a commissioner during the construction of the Lachine Canal
Lachine Canal
The Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine, Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
. Sewell helped found the Natural History Society of Montreal and served as its president. He was the first president of the Montreal bar library and also served as solitictor for the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning during the transfer of that part of James McGill
James McGill
James McGill was a Scottish-Canadian businessman, military commander and philanthropist known for being the founder of McGill University...
's property which became the site of McGill College
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
He died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in Montreal in 1832.