Cartwright, Richard

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: George Rawlyk and Janice Potter, “CARTWRIGHT, RICHARD,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cartwright_richard_5E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Businessman, office holder, judge, politician, militia officer, and author; b. 2 Feb. 1759 in Albany, N.Y., son of Richard Cartwright and Joanne Beasley; m. c. 1784 Magdalen Secord in Cataraqui (Kingston, Ont.), and they had eight children; d. 27 July 1815 in Kingston, Upper Canada.
    • The life of the Cartwright family in New York was totally disrupted by the American revolution. With the Declaration of Independence the older Cartwright felt compelled to withdraw to a more neutral position. It seems that by October 1777 Richard Jr’s good behaviour could no longer be guaranteed and his father gained permission from the committee to allow Richard Jr and his young niece, Hannah, to leave for British territory.
    • At Carleton Island and later in Cataraqui (renamed Kingston in 1788), Cartwright found himself in an excellent position to realize his considerable entrepreneurial potential. He possessed untiring energy and a passion for detail, controlling every aspect of his growing business.
    • Moreover, Simcoe’s land policy – to encourage American emigrants to settle in Canada challenged Cartwright’s vision of Upper Canada as an “asylum for the unfortunate Loyalists reduced to poverty and driven into exile by their attachment to Britain.” This was the issue that upset Cartwright the most since, unlike Simcoe, he felt that Upper Canada was primarily a loyalist colony.”
  • Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory –https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=1334
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/162516161/richard-cartwright