Martin Cranney (1795–1870) was an Irish-born

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 ...

politician. He was a resident of

Chatham, New Brunswick Chatham () is an urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County, New Brunswick, Northumberland Co ...

and represented Northumberland County in the 14th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly from 1847 to 1850. Cranney came to

in 1815 and settled in Chatham. He married a local girl, Ann Waddleton. He was, among other things, a magistrate and a shipping agent. Cranney is significant as he was one of the first

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

s elected to the Assembly and it was during the sitting of this 14th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly that

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 ...

came to New Brunswick. He held a number of public offices in the Chatham area and was one of the most prominent Catholic

laymen In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. ...

of his time in the

Miramichi Valley The Miramichi Valley is a Canadian river valley and region in the east-central part of New Brunswick. It extends along both major branches of the Miramichi River and their tributaries, however it is generally agreed that the much larger Southw ...

. Cranney is buried in the cemetery of St. Michael's Basilica in Miramichi, New Brunswick, in what was formerly Chatham. Cranney was married twice and had a large family. Several of his children migrated to the

State of Washington Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

to enter the lumber business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cranney 1795 births 1870 deaths 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick people Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation New Brunswick Canadian Roman Catholics Colony of New Brunswick judges Canadian magistrates