Hamilton Dibble Jessup (May 2, 1806 – November 24, 1892) was a medical doctor, militiaman, and political figure in

Canada West 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 ...

. He came from the founding family of

Prescott, Ontario Prescott is a town on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in province of Ontario, Canada. The town is a part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. In 2021, it had a population of 4,078. The Ogdensburg–Prescott International ...

. He was the son of Edward Jessup, Jr. and the grandson of

Edward Jessup Edward Jessup (December24, 1735February3, 1816), together with his brother Ebenezer Jessup (July 1739 – 1818), was a large landowner in present-day New York State before the American Revolution, and later a soldier and political figure in Upp ...

, 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 studied medicine in

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 ...

and opened a practice in

. He served 10 terms as mayor of Prescott. Jessup first joined the Grenville Militia in 1829 as an Ensign eventually rising to Captain, and commanded the Prescott Volunteer Battalion at the

Battle of the Windmill The Battle of the Windmill was fought in November 1838 in the aftermath of the Upper Canada Rebellion. Loyalist forces of the Upper Canadian government and American troops, aided by the Royal Navy and the United States Navy, defeated an invasion b ...

in 1838. He raised and commanded the 1st Prescott Rifle Company in 1856 which later became the 56th Grenville Regiment of which was he Lieutenant-Colonel. He commanded the 56th Grenville Battalion during the Fenian Raids and was in overall command of Fort Wellington. He represented Grenville in the

2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada The 2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada was summoned in 1844, following the general elections for the Legislative Assembly in October 1844. It first met on November 28, 1844. It was dissolved in December 1847. All sessions were held at Mon ...

. He was customs collector at Prescott from 1867 to 1885. His older brother, Edward Jessup III, represented Grenville in the

Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was the elected part of the legislature for the province of Upper Canada, functioning as the lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada. Its legislative power was subject to veto by the appointed Li ...

External links

Biographical sketch at Canadian Archival Information Network
1806 births 1892 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Physicians from Ontario 19th-century mayors of places in Ontario {{Ontario-politician-stub