Benjamin Holmes (April 23, 1794 – May 23, 1865) was a

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

businessman and political figure. He served in the militia of Lower Canada 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 ...

, including a period of captivity by the American forces. He joined the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (, ), abbreviated as BMO (pronounced ), is a Canadian multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank, making it Canada ...

shortly after it formed in 1817, and rose to be the

cashier A retail cashier or simply a cashier is a person who handles the cash register at various locations such as the point of sale in a retail store. The most common use of the title is in the retail industry, but this job title is also used in the c ...

(general manager) by 1827. He was twice a member of the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the Parliament of the Province of Canada. The Province of Canada consisted of the former province of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East (now Quebec), and Upper Canada ...

. In spite of his service in the War of 1812, he was a supporter of annexation by the United States in the late 1840s, and a signatory of the

Montreal Annexation Manifesto The Montreal Annexation Manifesto was a political document dated September 14, 1849, and signed in Montreal, Canada East, calling for the Province of Canada's annexation by the United States. The manifesto was published in two versions (October 11, ...

. He became a vice-president of the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

, and also a director of the Bank of Montreal.

Early life and family

Born in 1794 in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, Holmes was the son of Thomas Holmes and Susanna Scott. His father had some military background. In 1797, the Holmes family took ship to North America, but their vessel was captured by a French frigate and taken as a

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

to Cadiz, Spain. The family was kept in Spain for four years. Holmes' younger brother,

Andrew Fernando Holmes Andrew Fernando Holmes (March 17, 1797 – October 9, 1860) was a Canadian physician, academic, and one of the founders of the Montreal Medical Institution, the first medical school in Canada. In 1797, Holmes' parents, Thomas Holmes and Susanna S ...

, was born during their captivity. Finally, in 1801, they were able to complete their voyage to Lower Canada.Lorne Ste. Croix, "Holmes, Benjamin", ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', Volume IX (1861-1870), University of Toronto/Université Laval.
/ref> In 1819, Holmes married Élisabeth Arnoldi, daughter of Dr Daniel Arnoldi in Montreal. Benjamin's brother Andrew apprenticed under Dr Arnoldi and was one of the founders of the Montreal Medical Institute, the forerunner to the McGill School of Medicine.

Militia service

Holmes began work as a clerk with a group of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

merchants under

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He took credit for the Ameri ...

, but joined the Canadian Light Dragoons during the

, becoming lieutenant in 1813. He took part in the Niagara campaign of 1813 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 ...

(now Ontario), but was taken prisoner in October. He was held as a prisoner of war in Kentucky, before being released in 1814. He was engaged in some commercial activities in Upper Canada, and then in 1815 received a new commission 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 Canadian Fencibles. During the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (), commonly referred to as the Patriots' Rebellion () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec). Together wit ...

of 1837–1838, Holmes served as lieutenant-colonel in the Montreal Light Infantry. In that role, he took an active part in suppressing the Rebellion, which won him support amongst the Montreal English-speaking community.

Business career

In 1817, he began work as a discount clerk with the newly established

. Within ten years, he became

(general manager) of the Bank. For the next twenty years, from 1927 to 1947, he guided the development of the Bank, taking responsibility for his management decisions and acting in a non-partisan fashion, which was important for an English-speaking banking organization in the increasingly heated ethnic politics of Lower Canada. However, after his first term as a member of the

, he found his political neutrality called into question by the English-speaking business community. He resigned from the Bank of Montreal in 1847. Holmes then began a merchandise and railway promotion business with

John Young John Young most commonly refers to: *John Young (astronaut) (1930–2018), American astronaut * John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar (1807–1876), British diplomat and politician John Young may also refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) ...

, a fellow merchant and politician in Montreal. However, in 1849, following the repeal of the imperial preference law and its effect on Canadian exports, Holmes signed the

, calling for the annexation of the Province of Canada by the United States. That led to the breakup of his partnership with Young. He then became involved in the construction of a railway to connect Montreal to the ice-free port of

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, and became a vice-president of the

St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the Ca ...

. In 1853, when the

acquired the St. Lawrence and Atlantic, Holmes continued as a vice-president of the Grand Trunk. That same year, he was elected a director of the Bank of Montreal. He retained that position until his death.

Political career

Province of Canada

First term: 1841 to 1844

Following the rebellion in Lower Canada, and the similar rebellion in 1837 in Upper Canada, the British government decided to merge the two provinces into a single province, as recommended by

Lord Durham Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Refo ...

in the

Durham Report The ''Report on the Affairs of British North America'', (, 1839) commonly known as the ''Durham Report'' or ''Lord Durham's Report'', is an important document in the history of Quebec, Ontario, Canada and the British Empire. The notable Briti ...

. The ''Union Act, 1840'', passed by the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

, abolished the two provinces and their separate parliaments, and created the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

, with a single parliament for the entire province, composed of an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

. The

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

retained a strong position in the government. In the first general election of 1841, Holmes was elected unopposed to the

as one of two members for the city of

, alongside George Moffatt, another Montreal businessman.Cornell, ''Alignment of Political Groups in Canada, 1841–67'', pp. 5, 12, 93–97. A firm supporter of the union of the Canadas, Holmes initially was a member of the British Tory group from Canada East (as Lower Canada was now known), and a supporter of the Governor General, Lord Sydenham. However, over the course of the three annual sessions of the Parliament, Holmes gradually shifted towards the coalition of Reformers and the French-Canadian Group, and away from supporting the governor general. The major showdown between Governor General Sir Charles Metcalfe and the Reform ministry of

Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine Sir Louis-Hippolyte Ménard '' dit'' La Fontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG (October 4, 1807 – February 26, 1864) was a Canadian politician who served as the first Premier of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible governme ...

and

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. ...

came in 1843, over the implementation of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

. The Lafontaine-Baldwin ministry resigned. Holmes was one of the co-sponsors of a resolution in the Legislative Assembly, supporting the outgoing Reform ministry and calling on the Governor General to respect the principle of responsible government. From his initial Tory position, he had shifted to a moderate independent position, and ended the last session as a member of the reform-minded French-Canadian Group. He explained that his views on cooperation with the French-Canadian members had changed over the course of the Parliament. This transition in his political views had resulted in a loss of support from some in the Montreal English-speaking community, who viewed him as a "ratter". By 1844, the Bank of Montreal was suffering due to the absence of Holmes. He was persuaded by the Lafontaine group to resign his seat to trigger a by-election, which was won by the Lafontaine candidate, Lewis Thomas Drummond. Holmes returned to work at the bank, but he found that his political stances hampered his reputation for impartiality in the business community. He resigned from the bank in 1846.

Second term: 1848 to 1851

Holmes was not a candidate in the general election of 1844, but he did stand for election in the general election of 1848. He was elected in the Montreal riding, along with Lafontaine. He was disappointed at not being named to the Cabinet, but supported the Lafontaine-Baldwin ministry in the Assembly, including the debates over the

Rebellion Losses Bill The Rebellion Losses Bill (full name: ''An Act to provide for the Indemnification of Parties in Lower Canada whose Property was destroyed during the Rebellion in the years 1837 and 1838'') was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of ...

. The passage of the bill resulted in an English-speaking mob rioting and burning the Parliament building in Montreal. Holmes broke with the Reform ministry in 1850, when he became a supporter of annexation and more extensive legal and political reforms. He was moving from Reform to the nascent

Parti rouge The (, "Red Party"; or , "Democratic Party") was a political group that contested elections in the Canada East, Eastern section of the Province of Canada. It was formed around 1847 by radical French-Canadians; the party was inspired by the ideas ...

. He did not stand for election in the general election of 1851.

Montreal municipal politics

By 1833, Holmes was involved in Montreal municipal politics. He was elected to the city council representing the west ward of the city from 1842 to 1846, and again from 1850 to 1851. In 1843, Holmes was involved in unsuccessful mediation efforts to avert strikes by workers on the Lachine and Beauharnois Canals, the bloodiest in the history of the Canadian labour movement. He was defeated in two attempts to become mayor of Montreal, in 1850 and again in 1860.

Last days

Except for his attempt to become mayor of Montreal in 1860, Holmes had largely withdrawn from politics by the mid-1850s. In a late recognition of his contribution to the Reform cause, the Liberal government of

John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Can ...

and

Antoine-Aimé Dorion Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion (January 17, 1818May 31, 1891) was a French Canadian politician and jurist. Early years Dorion was born in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade into a family with liberal values that had been sympathetic to the Patriotes in 1837 ...

appointed Holmes as the receiver of customs at Montreal in 1863. In 1853, his daughter Maria Margaret Holmes married

Charles Dewey Day Charles Dewey Day, (May 6, 1806 – January 31, 1884) was a lawyer, political figure, and judges in Lower Canada and Canada East (now Quebec). He was a member of the Special Council of Lower Canada, which governed Lower Canada after the L ...

, who had served for a short time in the first Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, before being appointed a judge of the Lower Canada Court of Queen's Bench. Holmes died at Montreal in 1865.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Benjamin 1794 births 1865 deaths Directors of Bank of Montreal Irish emigrants to Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East Montreal Annexation Manifesto signers Montreal city councillors