Connell James Baldwin (1777 – 14 December 1861) was an Irish soldier and civil servant. When he was fourteen he joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, and two years later, after being deemed medically unfit to serve in that branch, the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. In 1808, as an

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the

87th Foot The 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Victoria's (Roy ...

, he purchased a Lieutenancy in the 83rd Foot. He served in the Peninsular War, where he was wounded four times, and by the end of that conflict was a decorated

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and the Aide-de-camp to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Thomas Picton Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars and died at Waterloo. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respecte ...

. From 1820 to 1826, when he exchanged from the 50th Foot to half-pay, Baldwin served as a Brigade-Major in Britain and the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. Afterward, he helped organise and command a regiment that supported

Pedro I of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of ...

. In 1828 he moved to Toronto Gore Township in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

, along with some of his soldiers including

William John O'Grady William John O'Grady (died c. August 18, 1840) was an Irish Catholic priest and journalist in Upper Canada. He served as chaplain to Connell James Baldwin's soldiers in Brazil, and followed him to Toronto Gore Township in 1828. From January 1829 ...

. Here he built a church and a school, and was appointed justice of the peace, roads commissioner, and militia colonel. Although identified with the reform movement, Baldwin opposed the

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

of 1837 and lead 1,200 men, at his own expense, to protect Niagara from rebels. In the process, he incurred debts that haunted him the rest of his life. A distant cousin of

Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. ...

, he was a politically outspoken advocate of Irish Catholics, opposing the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

and what was perceived as the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

's affinity for it. His closest allies in this were the bishops Alexander Macdonell, Michael Power, and

Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel (1 December 1802 – 29 March 1891) was the Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto, Bishop of Toronto from 1847 to 1860 and the only French and non-English priest to hold the post. Early years Born in Ch� ...

. He ran for election as a reform candidate in 1841 in 2nd York riding against the Orangeman George Duggan, but withdrew due to the threat of violence. In 1841 he sold his Army commission. During Toronto's 1847

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

epidemic, Baldwin had his home converted into a hospital for the poor.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Connell James 1777 births 1861 deaths 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot officers 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot officers Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Candidates in Ontario provincial elections