James Baby

James Baby (August 25, 1763 – February 19, 1833) was a judge and political figure in Upper Canada.

Biography

He was born Jacques Baby, the son of Jacques Bâby, to a prosperous family in Detroit in 1763. His last name is pronounced "Babby" to rhyme with tabby or cabbie. He was educated in Upper Canada (i.e., what is now the province of Ontario), where his uncle, François Baby, lived. In 1792, he was appointed to the Executive Council and Legislative Council of Upper Canada and became lieutenant for Kent County. In 1793, he was appointed judge in the Western District.[1]

After the Jay Treaty in 1795, the Bâby family left the Detroit area and moved to Sandwich (now Windsor). (Today his house is owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust and is used for government offices.) Over the years, the family acquired large amounts of land in the western region of Upper Canada. Bâby was put in charge of the 1st Kent militia. During the War of 1812, Sandwich was seized by the Americans, and Bâby was later taken prisoner at the Battle of the Thames. During the American occupation, his property suffered extensive damage.[2]

In 1815, he was appointed Inspector General and moved to York (now Toronto), where he was a politician, judge, wealthy landowner, and part of the ruling clique known as the Family Compact.[3] In 1816, he purchased land on the east bank of the Humber, formerly the site of the Seneca Teiaiagon village, land known today as "Baby Point."[3]

In 1823, he represented Upper Canada in resolving a dispute with Lower Canada over the sharing of customs revenues. A Roman Catholic, he helped establish the first Catholic church at York, St. Paul's.[4]

Baby was a slave-owner, who opposed Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe's efforts to prohibit slavery in Upper Canada.[5]

Personal

He died at York in 1833.

References
  • Levine, Allan (2014). Toronto: A Biography. Douglas and McIntyre. ISBN 978-1-77100-022-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  1. Clarke, John. "BABY, JAMES". 1821-1835 (Volume VI). Dictionary of Canadian Biographies. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  2. Clarke, John. "BABY, JAMES". 1821-1835 (Volume VI). Dictionary of Canadian Biographies. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  3. Levine 2014, p. 16.
  4. Clarke, John. "BABY, JAMES". 1821-1835 (Volume VI). Dictionary of Canadian Biographies. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  5. "An act to prevent the further introduction of slaves". Upper Canada History. 2013. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
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