Stephen Rendell (May 24, 1819 – April 4, 1893) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

-born merchant and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He represented Trinity Bay in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. J ...

from 1859 to 1873. He was born in

Coffinswell Coffinswell is a small village in South Devon, England, just off the A380, the busy Newton Abbot to Torquay road. It lies within Teignbridge District Council. Coffinswell has a church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew with a Norman font. Near the c ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, the son of John Rendell. In 1834, he was apprenticed to the merchants Bulley, Job and Company operating in St. John's. In 1859, he became a partner. Rendell, a supporter of union with Canada, was named to the colony's Legislative Council in 1874. He served as a founding member and president of the St. John's Agricultural Society. As a hunter, Rendell helped implement the introduction of

snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sin ...

s, now an important small game animal and food source on the island, from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

. He resigned from business and returned to England in 1881 because of ill health due to

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, c ...

, later dying in Coffinswell at the age of 73.

Personal life

Rendell married Catharine Norris in 1852. He had at least three children, including sons R.G. Rendell, A.S. Rendell and Doctor Rendell.

References

* Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Members of the Legislative Council of Newfoundland 1819 births 1893 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland Newfoundland Colony people {{Newfoundland-politician-stub