The Hon. Christopher Dunkin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theLegislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Drummond—Arthabaska | |
| In office 1858–1861 | |
| Member of theLegislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Brome | |
| In office 1862–1867 | |
| Member of theCanadian Parliament forBrome | |
| In office 1867–1871 | |
| Succeeded by | Edward Carter |
| Member of theLegislative Assembly of Quebec forBrome | |
| In office 1867–1871 | |
| Succeeded by | William Warren Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1812-09-25)September 25, 1812 Walworth, London, England |
| Died | January 6, 1881(1881-01-06) (aged 68) Knowlton, Quebec |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Other political affiliations | Conservative Party of Quebec |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Barber, daughter of Jonathan Barber |
| Cabinet | Minister of Agriculture (1869-1871) Quebec Treasurer (1867-1869) |
The Hon. Christopher Dunkin,PC QC (September 25, 1812 – January 6, 1881) was a Canadian editor, lawyer, teacher, judge, and politician.
Born atWalworth, London,England, he was the son of Summerhayes Dunkin (1779-1823), ofHorsleydown,Bermondsey, and Martha, daughter of John Hemming (1760–1825) ofTwickenham,Middlesex.[1] He was a first cousin of Hon.Edward John Hemming who came to Canada at his invitation. His family emigrated toNew York in 1821, but his father died two years later, and his widow got remarried to the eccentric English surgeon, Jonathan Barber (1784–1864), Professor ofElocution atHarvard andYale Universities, and Professor ofPublic speaking atMcGill University. The "exceptionally intelligent" Dunkin had returned to Britain to studyclassics and mathematics at theUniversity of London and theUniversity of Glasgow but graduated from neither.
In 1831, Dunkin rejoined his mother and stepfather in North America, continuing his education at Harvard University for two more years. Again, he did not graduate, but Harvard still awarded him an honorary degree and appointed him tutor ofGreek andLatin for 1834–35. That did not go well for him. HisFreshman class provoked what became known as theDunkin Rebellion in which classroom furniture and windows were broken, followed by disruptions in morning and evening prayers. Dunkin's contract was not renewed.
As a loyal British subject andconservative, Dunkin did not hold a favourable view of life in the United States and instead left forMontreal, where British patriotic fervour was at its peak. In 1837, he gained his first employment inMontreal as a correspondent for theMorning Courier. The following year, he was appointed secretary to the Education Commission and then to the Postal Service Commission before he became Deputy Provincial Secretary forCanada East, an office he retained from 1842 to 1847. His diplomatic nature enabled him to work easily between all of the political parties at a turbulent time in Canadian politics. In his spare time, Dunkin had started studying law in the offices of Alexander Buchanan and thenFrancis Godschall Johnson and was called to the Bar in 1846.
He became a partner in what was then Montreal's most prestigious law firm,Meredith &Bethune. In 1849, the founding partner, Meredith, accepted a judicial position inQuebec City and soon afterwards, Dunkin left to set up his own practice in theEastern Townships, which was beginning to flourish but lacked talented lawyers. He established himself atKnowlton, Quebec.
He was first elected to theLegislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1857 for the Quebec riding ofDrummond—Arthabaska. He then represented the riding ofBrome from 1862 until 1867. In 1864, he introduced a temperance act, known as the Dunkin Act. Dunkin was acclaimed for the Brome seat in the1st Canadian Parliament in1867 as aConservative; he also represented the sameriding provincially from 1867 to 1871. He was acclaimed again in 1869 by-election after he was appointedMinister of Agriculture. He resigned in 1871 when he was appointed aPuisne Justice of theQuebec Superior Court.
| 1867 Canadian federal election:Brome | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Conservative | Christopher Dunkin | acclaimed | ||||||
| Source: Canadian Elections Database[2] | ||||||||
By-election: On Mr. Dunkin being called to the Privy Council and appointed Minister of Agriculture, 16 November 1869
| By-election on 29 November 1869 | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Christopher Dunkin | acclaimed | |||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
