Jonathan Bliss (October 1, 1742 – October 1, 1822) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. He represented St. John County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

from 1786 to 1792 and from 1796 to 1802. He was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, the son of Luke Bliss and Mercy Ely. Bliss was educated at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

, studied law in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and set up practice in Wilbraham. He was named a justice of the peace in 1770 and a major in the militia in the following year. He travelled to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

near the start of 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 was subsequently named in the

Massachusetts Banishment Act The Massachusetts Banishment Act, officially named the "Banishment Act of the State of Massachusetts", was passed in September 1778 "to prevent the return to this state of certain persons therein named and others who have left this state or either o ...

of 1778. In 1784, he accepted the post of attorney general for the province of New Brunswick. With

Ward Chipman Ward Chipman (July 30, 1754 – February 9, 1824) was a New Brunswick lawyer, judge, and political figure. He briefly served as administrator for New Brunswick from 1823 until his death in 1824. Early life He was born in Marblehead, Massa ...

, he was elected to the 1st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly after the sheriff closed the polls early and disallowed votes for opposing candidates. In 1790, Bliss married Mary Worthington. He purchased a large home in Saint John formerly owned by

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

. He was named

Chief Justice of New Brunswick The chief justice of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada holds the highest office within the Province's judicial system. The Chief Justice is a member of the Court of Appeal, the highest court in the Province which includes five other judges plus ...

in 1809 and was appointed to the

Executive Council of New Brunswick The Executive Council (Commonwealth countries), Executive Council of New Brunswick (), informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of New Brunswick (), is the Cabinet (government), Cabinet of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provin ...

that same year. He remained a judge until his death in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

in 1822 because the government was not prepared to grant him a pension. His son William Blowers served in the Nova Scotia assembly and was a puisne judge for the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
1742 births 1822 deaths Harvard College alumni Harvard College Loyalists in the American Revolution 18th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick judges Attorneys general of the Colony of New Brunswick {{NewBrunswick-MLA-stub