Thomas Scott (baptised 18 October 1746 – July 29, 1824) was a judge and political figure 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 ...

. He was born in the parish of Kingoldrum, Angus, Scotland, and studied law at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was called to the bar in 1793. In 1800, he was appointed attorney general in Upper Canada and arrived in York in 1801. He was appointed to the Executive Council for the province in 1805. He was the fourth Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada from 1805 until he became Chief Justice for Upper Canada succeeding Henry Allcock and was appointed to the Executive Council in 1806.The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Treasurers
/ref> In 1811, already suffering from ill health, Scott applied for a pension so that he could retire, but was refused. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, the administration sought to ensure the loyalty of its subjects by imposing

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

and, in 1814, by prosecuting those who had expressed sympathy for the enemy with

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

in a series of trials at Ancaster known as the " Bloody Assize". Fifteen men were condemned to death of which eight were executed. These actions increased Scott's workload. In 1816, Scott was finally granted a pension and retired. He was succeeded by

William Dummer Powell William Dummer Powell (November 5, 1755 – September 6, 1834) was a Loyalist lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. Early life and education Born at Boston, Massachusetts, he was named for his grandmother's brother William Dumm ...

as Chief Justice for the province. Scott died at

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

) in 1824. * Scott Township in Ontario County,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, now part of

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

, was named after Scott. * Scott Street (and Scott Lane) in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood of

are also named after Thomas Scott.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Thomas 1746 births 1824 deaths Attorneys-general of Upper Canada Chief justices of Upper Canada Immigrants to Upper Canada Lawyers in Upper Canada and Canada West Members of Lincoln's Inn Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada People from Angus, Scotland People from Old Toronto Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Scottish lawyers Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada 19th-century Canadian judges