John Solomon Cartwright | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Lennox and Addington County | |
| In office 1836–1840 Serving with George Hill Detlor | |
| Preceded by | Marshall Spring Bidwell Peter Perry |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Lennox and Addington | |
| In office 1841–1844 | |
| Preceded by | New position |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Seymour |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1804 Kingston, Upper Canada |
| Died | January 15, 1845 (aged 40) Kingston, Canada West |
| Political party | Compact Tory |
| Spouse | Sarah Hayter Macaulay |
| Relations | Harriet Dobbs (sister-in-law) Sir Richard John Cartwright (nephew) |
| Children | Four daughters, three sons |
| Parent |
|
| Occupation | Lawyer, landowner, businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Britain |
| Branch/service | Upper Canada militia |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Commands | 2nd Lennox Regiment |
John Solomon Cartwright, QC (September 17, 1804 – January 15, 1845) was a Canadian businessman, lawyer, judge, farmer and political figure in Kingston, Upper Canada. He was a supporter of the Family Compact, an oligarchic group which had dominated control of the government of Upper Canada through their influence with the British governors. He was also a member of the Compact Tory political group, first in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, and then in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
In spite of his relative youth when first elected in 1836, age 32, he was an influential member of the Compact Tory group in the Assembly. He was courted by two governors general to join the executive council of the Province of Canada, but declined each time, not willing to associate in government with the radical Reform members of the Assembly. He favoured including French-Canadians in the government of the new Province of Canada, but opposed the use of French in the Assembly and the courts.
In the aftermath of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, he acted as a prosecutor in the trials of some alleged rebels, and was one of the military judges in the court martial of Nils von Schoultz, who had led an invasion force from the United States. In the trials, Cartwright worked with a rising young Kingston lawyer, John A. Macdonald, the future Prime Minister of Canada. In addition to his legal practice, he was involved in successful banking and land transactions.
Wealthy, and holding a large farming estate near Kingston, Cartwright donated land and buildings for public purposes in Kingston and neighbouring Napanee. A bon vivant, he enjoyed gambling with cards for high stakes, horse racing, and the elegancies of life, both food and good wine.
Cartwright died of tuberculosis in 1845, aged 40.