Street, George Frederick

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Phillip Buckner, “STREET, GEORGE FREDERICK,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/street_george_frederick_8E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Lawyer, college administrator, public servant, politician, and judge; b. 21 July 1787 in Burton, N.B., fifth of 12 children of Samuel Denny Street and Abigail Freeman; m. 26 March 1818 Frances Maria Stratton (Straton), and they had one son and one daughter who survived to maturity; d. 10 July 1855 in London.
    • Although George Frederick Street’s father had served with the British forces in the Thirteen Colonies, received a large grant of land in Sunbury County (N.B.), and sat in the provincial House of Assembly, he was of English birth and was never a member of the inner circle of American-born loyalists who monopolized government patronage in early New Brunswick. Repeatedly he was passed over when vacancies occurred on the bench in favour of loyalists who were junior to him at the bar, much to his children’s chagrin. Since he lacked access to patronage, he sought to provide his children with a superior education and sent two of his sons, to study law at the Inns of Court in London. George Frederick attended the Inner Temple in 1808 and practised as attorney at the Court of King’s Bench until 1818 when he married the daughter of a major in the Royal Engineers and returned to New Brunswick to join his father’s practice in Fredericton. Because of his English experience, he was allowed to appear in the New Brunswick courts, even though he was not formally admitted to the provincial bar as a barrister until two years later.
    • Fredericton was little more than a village in the 1820s and the competition for business among its handful of lawyers was intense. The main rivals of the Streets were the attorney general, Thomas Wetmore, and his son, George Ludlow. Since the Wetmores were members of the loyalist élite, relations between the two families were not cordial. During a trial in 1821 the two sons carried their argument outside the courtroom and Wetmore challenged Street to a duel. On the morning of 2 Oct. 1821 Street shot and killed his opponent. Wetmore’s friends persuaded the sheriff to issue a warrant for Street’s arrest for murder. He had fled to the United States following the duel, but he returned to stand trial in Fredericton in February 1822 and was acquitted.
    • After 1819, when his father was appointed to the Council, Street’s future was assured. On 24 June 1822 he was named treasurer and clerk for the College of New Brunswick and when it was incorporated as King’s College in 1829 he became the registrar, a lucrative position which he held until 25 June 1846. On 12 April 1825 Street was appointed advocate general by Lieutenant Governor, who much admired the elder Street. He also held a number of minor administrative posts and in February 1825 served with Ward Chipman on the committee of management for the newly formed provincial barristers’ association. However, when he ran for the House of Assembly in 1827 and again in 1830, he was unsuccessful.
  • Son of Proven United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=8194
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/263725129/george-frederick-street