Thomas Cushing Aylwin | |
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| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Portneuf (two elections) | |
| In office 1841–1844 | |
| Preceded by | New position |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Thomas Drummond |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Quebec City (three elections) (two member constituency) | |
| In office 1844–1848 Serving with Jean Chabot | |
| Preceded by | Henry Black |
| Succeeded by | François-Xavier Méthot |
| Solicitor-General for Lower Canada | |
| In office September 24, 1842 – December 11, 1843 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Dewey Day |
| Succeeded by | Position vacant until August 21, 1845 |
| In office March 11, 1848 – April 25, 1848 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph-Édouard Turcotte |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Thomas Drummond |
| Court of Queen's Bench, Lower Canada / Quebec | |
| In office April 26, 1848 – 1868 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 5, 1806 Quebec City, Lower Canada |
| Died | October 14, 1871 (aged 65) Montreal, Quebec |
| Resting place | Mount Hermon Cemetery, Sillery, Quebec |
| Political party | French-Canadian Group; Reform |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Margaret Nelson Hanna (m. June 2, 1832) (2) Eliza Margaret Felton (m. May 14, 1836 (3) Ann Blake (m. September 7, 1850) |
| Relations | William Bowman Felton (father-in-law) William Locker Pickmore Felton (brother-in-law) |
| Education | Articled clerkship at law; Harvard University |
| Profession | Lawyer, judge |
Thomas Cushing Aylwin (January 5, 1806 – October 14, 1871) was a lawyer, political figure and judge in Lower Canada (now Quebec). He was born in Quebec City and trained as a lawyer, including a period of education at Harvard University. He developed a reputation as an excellent trial lawyer, particularly in criminal cases. He became interested in politics and supported the nationalist Parti canadien (later the Parti patriote) in their struggles with the British governors of the province. He did not support the armed rebellion in 1837, but defended some of the individuals accused of treason or other crimes for their roles in the rebellion.
After the creation of the Province of Canada in 1841, merging Lower Canada with Upper Canada, Aylwin was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the new province. Fluently bilingual, he was renowned for his debating skills in the Assembly, in either language, often with a fair bit of sarcasm. He served twice as the solicitor-general of Lower Canada, in the Reform ministries of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin. In 1845, he fought a duel with a former Executive Council colleague, Dominick Daly, over Daly's lack of support for responsible government in the ministerial crisis of 1843.
In 1848, Lafontaine appointed Aylwin to the Court of Queen's Bench for Lower Canada, partly to make space on the Executive Council for another member of the Reform coalition. Aylwin served as a judge for twenty years, and continued to build on his reputation for detailed knowledge of the law, coupled with the ability to move quickly to the key points in issue in a case. His eloquence, now on the bench, continued to draw notice. However, in 1860 he had a stroke, which reduced his health and his mental acuity. He resigned from the bench in 1868, and died in 1871.
Aylwin was married three times, and widowed twice. None of his marriages produced children.