Rufus Smith ( MD) (November 19, 1766 – November 15, 1844) was a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

in the

British colonial The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming p ...

Province of New Brunswick,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Born in Stamford in the

Colony of Connecticut The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritan congregation of settlers ...

, after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

his

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

family emigrated to

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 ...

, Canada, settling in a rural area on the west bank of the

Missaguash River The Missaguash River (French: Rivière Missaguash) is a small Canadian river that forms the southern portion of the inter-provincial boundary between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the Isthmus of Chignecto. It had historic significance in the 18t ...

near the present-day town of Sackville. Trained in medicine, Dr. Rufus Smith had a large practice, serving the residents across the

Isthmus of Chignecto The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America. The isthmus separates the waters of Chignecto Bay, a sub-basin of the Bay of ...

. In 1789, he married Elizabeth Dixon (1770–1859) of Sackville. They had five daughters and two sons. In 1817, he was elected to the 6th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly as a representative for the

County of Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. People of the area are known as Westmerians. The ...

. He was the representative again in the

7th Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...

and 8th Assemblies, serving until 1827, then again in the 10th Assembly from 1831 to 1834. Rufus Smith died in 1844 and is buried in the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

cemetery at Point de Bute. His daughter, Diana Gay Smith, married Lestock P. W. DesBrisay, a businessman from

Richibucto, New Brunswick Richibucto is a former town in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Beaurivage. Geography The town is situated on the Richibucto River where it discharges into the Northumberlan ...

who would represent Kent County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1856 to 1866.

References

1766 births 1844 deaths Physicians from New Brunswick 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick People from colonial Connecticut United Empire Loyalists People from Sackville, New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick people {{NewBrunswick-MLA-stub