James Cuthbert (June 4, 1769 – March 5, 1849) was a

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

and political figure in

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 ...

. He was born at Berthier in 1769, the son of seigneur James Cuthbert, and studied at the English College at

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He served in the 60th Regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, becoming lieutenant in 1797. Cuthbert inherited the seigneury of Berthier from his father in 1798. He was named justice of the peace for Trois-Rivières district in 1808. He served in the local militia, becoming lieutenant-colonel. He was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house consisted of e ...

for Warwick in 1796 and served until 1811, when he was named to the

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 ...

. Cuthbert had run unsuccessfully for the same seat in the legislative assembly in 1792. At that time, he tried unsuccessfully to have the election of

Pierre-Paul Margane de Lavaltrie Pierre-Paul Margane de Lavaltrie (August 13, 1743 – September 10, 1810) was a ''seigneur'' and political figure in Lower Canada. He was born in Montreal in 1743, the only son of Pierre-Paul Margane de Lavaltrie, a seigneur and captain in ...

overturned because Lavaltrie was not a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

subject. In 1802, Cuthbert married Marie-Claire, the daughter of judge John Fraser. He married his cousin Mary-Louise-Amable Cairns in 1814. Cuthbert was named to the Special Council that governed the province after 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 ...

. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1822. During his life he owned 3

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s in Canada.Trudel, Marcel (1960). ''L 'esclavage au Canada français.'' Les presses universitaires Laval, p. 141. He died at his manor at Berthier in 1849. His son Edward Octavian became a member of the Canadian House of Commons. His brother

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

also represented Warwick in the legislative assembly.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuthert, James 1769 births 1849 deaths Politicians from Lanaudière English College, Douai alumni Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada Members of the Special Council of Lower Canada Canadian slave owners