1st New Brunswick Legislature


The 1st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly represented New Brunswick between January 3, 1786, and 1792. The lower house was the Legislative Assembly and the upper house was named the Legislative Council.
The assembly sat at the pleasure of the Governor of New Brunswick, Thomas Carleton. The first and second sessions were held at the Mallard House, an inn in Saint John. Subsequent sessions were held in Fredericton.
Amos Botsford was chosen as Speaker Of The House.

Composition

The lower house was the Legislative Assembly and the upper house was named the Legislative Council. The governor of New Brunswick was responsible for the appointment of the Legislative Council.
The General Assembly of New Brunswick had three distinct constitutional elements:
In this period, the General Assembly met from two to ten weeks each year and it was then that the elected representatives of the voters could influence public policy. When New Brunswick had a bicameral General Assembly, new legislation had to be read three times and approved by the House of Assembly and then read three times and approved by the Legislative Council. Generally, legislation originated in the House of Assembly sometimes.

History

The Loyalist Migration to Canada followed the American Revolutionary War brought about 12,000 settlers, chiefly from New York, to this region. Convinced that the government and people of Nova Scotia were alien to their interest, they sought the creation of a new province. Sir Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester urged their claims at London and in 1784, their desire became reality. In 1785, an election was held and on 3rd of January 1786, the first legislature of New Brunswick met in the Mallard House, which at that time, Saint John, New Brunswick's leading hostelry once stood on this site.

Acts

Acts that were commonly passed in the 1st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly generally centered around the topics of law and money. As an example, "An Act For Regulating Pilots".

Members

The following are the members for the 1st New Brunswick Legislative:
Electoral DistrictNameFirst elected
CharlotteWilliam Paine1786
CharlotteJames Campbell1786
CharlotteRobert Pagan1786
CharlottePeter Clinch1786
CharlotteColin Campbell 1789
KingsJohn Coffin1786
KingsEbenezer Foster1786
KingsJohn Hamilton 1788
KingsDavid Fanning 1791
NorthumberlandElias Hardy1786
NorthumberlandWilliam Davidson1786
NorthumberlandHarris William Hailes 1791
QueensSamuel Dickinson1786
QueensJohn Yeamans1786
Saint JohnWilliam Pagan1786
Saint JohnJonathan Bliss1786
Saint JohnChristopher Billop1786
Saint JohnWard Chipman1786
Saint JohnJohn McGeorge1786
Saint JohnStanton Hazard1786
Saint JohnNehemiah Rogers 1791
SunburyWilliam Hubbard1786
SunburyRichard Vandeburg1786
SunburyJames Glenie 1789
WestmorlandAmos Botsford1786
WestmorlandCharles Dixon1786
WestmorlandSamuel Gay1786
WestmorlandAndrew Kinnear1786
YorkDaniel Murray1786
YorkIsaac Atwood1786
YorkDaniel Lyman1786
YorkEdward Stelle1786