Robert Baldwin
| Robert Baldwin | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 2nd and 6th Premier of Canada West | |
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In office 1843–1848 |
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| Preceded by | William Henry Draper first term; Henry Sherwood - second term |
| Succeeded by | vacant - first term; Sir Francis Hincks - second term |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 12, 1804 York, Upper Canada |
| Died | December 9, 1858 (aged 54) Toronto, Canada West |
| Resting place | Spadina House (Baldwin family cemetery) |
| Political party | Reform movement |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Signature |  |
Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who, with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada. "Responsible Government" marked the country's democratic independence, without a revolution, although not without violence. This achievement also included the introduction of municipal government, the introduction of a modern legal system and the Canadian Jury system, and the abolishing of imprisonment for debt. Baldwin is also noted for resisting a decades-long tradition of Orange Order terrorism of political reform in the colony, that went so far as to burn the Parliament buildings in Montreal in 1849.
Robert Baldwin's grandfather, also Robert Baldwin ("Robert the emigrant") moved to Upper Canada from Ireland in 1799. His father was William Warren Baldwin (April 25, 1775 – January 8, 1844).
The Baldwin family was a prominent one. Robert Baldwin counted among his cousins such influential Upper Canadians as the Anglican bishop Maurice Scollard Baldwin, Toronto mayor Robert Baldwin Sullivan and the Irish-Catholic leader Connell James Baldwin. The Russell-Willcocks-Baldwin family formed an elite "compact" much like the infamous "Family Compact" led by John Beverley Robinson against whom they fought.
Robert Baldwin, Esquire, Barrister, of York (now Toronto) married his cousin Augusta Elizabeth Sullivan, daughter of Daniel Sullivan, on May 3, 1827. The couple had four children, two sons and two daughters. Augusta Elizabeth died January 11, 1836. Robert Baldwin died December 9, 1858.
Robert Baldwin is the grandfather of Frederick Walker Baldwin, a Canadian aviation pioneer and partner of the famous inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Robert Baldwin is also the grandfather of Robert Baldwin Ross, a French born journalist and art critic and literary executor of Oscar Wilde.
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