Robert Carter (1791 – May 25, 1872) was a

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

naval officer and political figure. He was born in

Ferryland Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2021 Statistics Canada census, its population is 371. Seventeenth century settlement Ferryland was originally established as a station for migratory fi ...

, the son of judge William Carter, and 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 ...

as a young man, retiring as a lieutenant in 1815. Later that year, he was named surrogate magistrate after the death of his brother William, serving until 1826. In 1832, Carter was elected to represent Ferryland in the first general election held in Newfoundland. He was defeated in 1836, but went on to represent Bonavista Bay from 1842 to 1852 and from 1855 to 1859 and Fortune Bay from 1859 to 1865. Carter also served as a road commissioner for Ferryland and as supervisor of streets for St. John's from 1846 to 1848. In 1849, he was named colonial treasurer and governor of the

Newfoundland Savings Bank Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland and the continent ...

; he held on to these posts until he was forced out of office by Governor Sir

Charles Henry Darling Sir Charles Henry Darling (19 February 1809 – 25 January 1870) was a British colonial governor. Biography Charles Darling was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Major-General Henry Darling and nephew of General Sir Ralph Dar ...

in 1855. Carter served as colonial secretary from 1861 to 1865, retiring from politics later that year. He died in St John's in 1872.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Robert 1791 births 1872 deaths 19th-century members of the Newfoundland House of Assembly Newfoundland Colony people Colonial secretaries of Newfoundland