Robert Graham Dunlop (October 1, 1790 – February 28, 1841) was a British naval officer and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of 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 th ...

. He was born in Keppoch,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

in 1790 and joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

at the age of 13. He became a lieutenant while serving during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

; he later reached the rank of captain. He retired from the Navy in 1823 and came to Upper Canada in 1833 with his brother

William "Tiger" Dunlop William Dunlop (19 November 1792 – 29 June 1848) also known as Tiger Dunlop, was an army officer, surgeon, Canada Company official, author, justice of the peace, militia officer, politician, and office holder. He is notable for his contribut ...

who was a general superintendent for the Canada Company. He was appointed a justice of the peace in the London District in the same year. In 1835, he was elected to the

13th Parliament of Upper Canada The 13th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 November 1836. Elections in Upper Canada had been held 20 June 1836. All sessions were held at Toronto. The House of Assembly had five sessions 8 November 1836 to 10 February 1840. Archives of O ...

for the new riding of

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

. He tended to support the province's administration, including Lieutenant Governor Sir

Francis Bond Head Sir Francis Bond Head, 1st Baronet KCH PC (1 January 1793 – 20 July 1875), known as "Galloping Head", was Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada during the rebellion of 1837. Biography Head was an officer in the corps of Royal Engineers of ...

and was reelected in 1836. In 1837, he joined the

Orange Lodge 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, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It als ...

and became a member of its provincial executive in 1838. He was named a colonel in the Huron militia during the Upper Canada Rebellion, but his unit was not called to serve. He supported the redistribution of the

clergy reserves Clergy reserves were tracts of land in Upper Canada and Lower Canada reserved for the support of "Protestant clergy" by the Constitutional Act of 1791. One-seventh of all surveyed Crown lands were set aside, totaling and respectively for each Prov ...

among the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

churches and promoting immigration to Upper Canada. He also supported the campaign against

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in the province. He died on the family estate near Goderich in 1841.

Royal Navy Career

Robert Graham Dunlop joined the Royal Navy in 1803. In 1810 he took the exam for the rank of Lieutenant. he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1812 and later to Commander in 1822.

Napoleonic Wars

In 1813, Lieutenant Dunlop, in command of HMS Porcupine, captured or destroyed a number of French craft which had run ashore near Talmont-sur-Gironde. With orders from Captain Trevenen Penrose Coode, Lieutenant Dunlop commanded the boats of HMS Porcupine (1807) in pursuit of a French flotilla. After the French flotilla ran ashore, Dunlop landed with a party of seamen and marines and captured significant French naval assets.

Political Career in Canada

In 1833 Robert Dunlop emigrated to Upper Canada with his brother

. The two brothers settled in Goderich, Ontario and shortly after Robert Dunlop was appointed to two offices: * Justice of the Peace, London District (later the

Huron Tract The Huron Tract Purchase also known as the Huron Block, registered as Crown Treaty Number 29, is a large area of land in southwestern Ontario bordering on Lake Huron to the west and Lake Erie to the east. The area spans the counties of Huron, Pert ...

) As a justice of the peace in Upper Canada, one could be expected to issue warrants, conduct preliminary inquiries, investigate misdemeanours, try a variety of summary offences, and commit the convicted to jail. * Commissioner of the Court of Requests, London District (later the

) A Court consisting of two or more Justices of the Peace authorized to try any claim not exceeding 40 shillings, Quebec currency. The system of Court of Requests was repealed in 1841, by 4 & 5 Vict., ch. 3, which provided for Division Courts. Regardless of the changes, many of the same people continued in the similar capacities in these positions; Robert Dunlop being of them.

Parliamentary Voting Record

Robert Dunlop's political career in the assembly was predominantly supportive of the

Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today’s Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in ...

, although some of his views and votes were supportive of the Colborne Clique. * supported the Huron Fishing company,Peter A. Russell, "Dunlop, Robert Graham", ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', Vol. VII (1837–1850).
/ref> * supported improvements to Goderich Harbour. * supported increased immigration. * supported an extended franchise in Canada Company land grants for War of 1812 veterans and to extend the definition of a United Empire Loyalist. * supported improved jails .Kathleen Macfarlane Lizars, ''In the days of the Canada Company: The story of the settlement of the Huron Tract and a view of the social life of the period, 1825-1850.'' Toronto: William Briggs, 1896, pp. 17-23. * supported improved treatment of the insane. * supported the establishment of a Mechanics' Institute.Lorne Bruce. ''Free Books for All: The Public Library Movement in Ontario, 1850-1930.'' Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1994. p. 46. * supported a geological survey. * belonged to the anti-slavery campaign.

Tombstone

Robert Dunlop and his brother "Tiger" Dunlop have a joint tombstone, in

Goderich, Ontario Goderich ( or ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop of the Canada Company in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after ...

References