Robert Duncan Wilmot

Robert Duncan Wilmot, PC (16 October 1809 – 13 February 1891) was a Canadian politician and a Father of Confederation.

For his son, see Robert Duncan Wilmot Jr.
For other uses, see Robert Wilmot (disambiguation).

The Hon.

Robert Duncan Wilmot
Senator for New Brunswick
In office
23 October 1867 – 10 February 1880
Appointed byRoyal Proclamation
6th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
In office
11 February 1880 – 10 November 1885
MonarchVictoria
Governor GeneralMarquess of Lorne
The Marquess of Lansdowne
PremierJohn James Fraser
Daniel Lionel Hanington
Andrew George Blair
Preceded byEdward Barron Chandler
Succeeded bySamuel Leonard Tilley
Personal details
Born(1809-10-16)16 October 1809
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Died13 February 1891(1891-02-13) (aged 81)
Sunbury County, New Brunswick
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Susan Elizabeth Mowat
ChildrenJohn David Wilmot
Robert Duncan Wilmot Jr.
Charlotte Gertrude Wilmot
Susan Harriet Wilmot
Henry Wilmot
Edward Ashley Wilmot
Elizabeth Blanche Wilmot
OccupationA Father of Confederation

Biography

Wilmot was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick on 16 October 1809. He was the son of John McNeil and Susanna (Susan) Harriet (born Wiggins) Wilmot.[1] He moved to Saint John with his family at around the age of five, and there he was educated. In 1833 he married Susannah (Susan) Elizabeth Mowat of St Andrews.[1] His father, John McNeil Wilmot, was a big tank and ship owner. Wilmot worked for his father's business and represented the company in Liverpool, England from 1835 to 1840. It is there that his son, Robert Duncan Wilmot, Jr., a future Member of Parliament, was born.

Wilmot represented Saint John County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1847 to 1861, and from 1865 to 1867. He was a delegate to the colonial conference in London from 1866 to 1867. Following confederation, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada on 23 October 1867 by royal proclamation, and represented the Senate division of New Brunswick until his resignation on 10 February 1880. In 1878, he became Speaker of the Senate, and was also a member of the ministry of John A. Macdonald.

He served as mayor of Saint John from 1849 to 1850. He was made a member of the Executive Council of New Brunswick, serving as the Surveyor-General (1851–1854). He was provincial secretary from 1856-1857. After his resignation from the Senate in 1880, he served as the sixth Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick until 1885.

Wilmot died at his estate in Sunbury County at the age of 81. His home was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1975.[2] He is buried in Sunbury County Oromocto Anglican Church cemetery on Broad Road.

References
  1. "Robert Duncan Wilmot". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
  2. Belmont House / R. Wilmot Home. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
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