Thomas Wetmore (September 20, 1767 – March 22, 1828) was a lawyer 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 was born in

Rye, New York Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. It received its charter as a city in 1942, making it the most recent such charter in the state. Its area of ...

, the son of Timothy Wetmore and Jane Haviland. He came to New Brunswick after 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 ...

in 1783, first settling at Carleton (later Saint John) and then Gagetown. Wetmore studied law 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 ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1790. He was named clerk for the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and registrar of deeds for Carleton County. In 1793, he married Sarah Peters. He served as lieutenant-colonel in the militia. In 1809, Wetmore was elected to 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'' ...

for St. John County; he did not run for reelection in 1816. In the same year, he was named

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

for the colony and served in the post until his death on his estate near

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, ...

at the age of 60. Wetmore was named to the colony's ruling

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

in 1817. He also served as justice of the peace for York County. His son George Ludlow Wetmore predeceased his father, dying in a duel in 1821.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetmore, Thomas 1767 births 1828 deaths 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Attorneys general of the Colony of New Brunswick Members of the Legislative Council of New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick judges Colony of New Brunswick people