David Seabury (christened on September 10, 1749 in Nassau,

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

– September 26, 1840) was a tradesman, judge and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. In 1786, he briefly represented Annapolis County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

Biography

He was born in what is now the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the son of the Reverend Samuel Seabury and Elizabeth Powell. His half-brother

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

was the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States. In 1770, he married Anne Lyne. A

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the governor of Quebec and governor general of the Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North Ameri ...

, he served as captain in a loyalist regiment during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and settled in Granville, Nova Scotia in 1783. Seabury was a lieutenant-colonel in the militia. He was elected to the

6th General Assembly of Nova Scotia The 6th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between November 1785 to 1793. The Assembly sat at the pleasure of the Governor of Nova Scotia, Edmund Fanning (colonial administrator), Edmund Fanning until 1786, and then under Gov ...

in 1785, but the seat was immediately contested and declared invalid on Dec. 8,1785, three days into the session. He was reelected and took seat June 10, 1786 but the election was again declared invalid June 15, 1786, and the seat awarded to

Alexander Howe Alexander Howe (December 19, 1749 – January 9, 1813) was a soldier, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. He represented Annapolis County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1785 to 1793, and then Granvil ...

. Neil MacKinnon, ''This Unfriendly Soil: The Loyalist Experience in Nova Scotia, 1783-1791''. McGill-Queen's University Press, 1989. . p. 120. In 1790, he was named a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for

Annapolis County Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province located on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal. History Established August 17, 1759, by Order in Council, Annapolis ...

. He also served as acting agent for

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Affairs. In 1806, after suffering financial losses, Seabury returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

References

1749 births 1840 deaths 18th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Colony of Nova Scotia judges People from the Province of New York United Empire Loyalists {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub