Samuel George William Archibald (February 5, 1777 – January 28, 1846) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. He represented Halifax County from 1806 to 1836 and Colchester County from 1836 to 1841 in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

. He supported the Royal Acadian School. He was born Samuel George Washington Archibald in

Truro, Nova Scotia Truro (Scottish Gaelic: ''Trùru'') is a town in central Nova Scotia, Canada. Truro is the shire town of Colchester County and is located on the south side of the Salmon River (Nova Scotia), Salmon River floodplain, close to the river's mouth ...

, the son of Samuel Archibald and Rachel Todd. His grandfather David Archibald, an immigrant from

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, was one of the founders of Truro, and raised the boy after the death of his father in 1780. At the age of 15, he went to

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

for further education, returning four years later. After his return, he studied law with Simon Bradstreet Robie. In 1802, he married Elizabeth Dickson, daughter of Charles Dickson and Amelia Bishop, the sister of

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

, Thomas Dickson. Later that year, he became probate judge for Colchester and

Pictou Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) nor ...

districts. In 1805, Archibald was admitted to practice as an attorney and barrister. Archibald was named

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1817. In 1818, he was surrogate general for the colony's

vice admiralty court Vice admiralty courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

In 1819, he unsuccessfully prosecuted Richard John Uniacke, Jr. who took part in the last fatal duel in Nova Scotia, which led to the death of merchant William Bowie. Archibald set up an oat mill in Truro in 1822. Archibald also served as Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island from 1824 to 1828, although he never resided on the island. He was speaker for the legislative assembly from 1824 to 1841. In 1826, he was named solicitor general for Nova Scotia. In 1830, Archibald was named acting attorney general after the death of

Richard John Uniacke Richard John Uniacke (November 22, 1753 – October 11, 1830) was an abolitionist, lawyer, politician, member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and Attorney General of Nova Scotia. According to historian Brian Cutherburton, Uniacke was " ...

. He married Joanna Brinley in 1832, two years after the death of his first wife. He suffered a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

in 1836 which left him for a time with paralysis of his facial muscles and difficulty speaking. In 1841, he was named master of the rolls and resigned his seat in the assembly. Archibald died in Halifax in 1846 of a severe stroke. His son Charles Dickson also served in the legislative assembly and his son Edward Mortimer became a lawyer and office-holder in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. Nova Scotian artist William Valentine painted Archibald's portrait.Portrait of Archibald by Valentine
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archibald, Samuel George W 1777 births 1846 deaths 19th-century Canadian lawyers 19th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Judges in Prince Edward Island People from Truro, Nova Scotia Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Speakers of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Canadian King's Counsel Colony of Prince Edward Island judges Colony of Nova Scotia judges Attorneys general of the Colony of Nova Scotia