Washburn, Simon Ebenezer

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Ruth McKenzie, “WASHBURN, SIMON EBENEZER,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/washburn_simon_ebenezer_7E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Militia officer, lawyer, office holder, and politician; b. probably 1794 in Fredericksburgh Township, Upper Canada, son of Ebenezer Washburn and Sarah De Forest; m. 12 April 1821 Margaret FitzGibbon; d. 29 Sept. 1837 in Toronto.
    • The sixth of nine children in a prominent loyalist family, Simon Ebenezer Washburn attended the Kingston grammar school and then served in the militia in the War of 1812. He studied law under Dr William Warren Baldwin in York (Toronto), was called to the bar of Upper Canada in January 1820, and practised in partnership with Baldwin until he established his own office in May 1825. He became a successful and highly respected lawyer.
    • Simon Washburn’s name is connected with two Upper Canadian controversies. When, in June 1828, justice John Walpole Willis cast doubt on the legality of the operations of the Court of King’s Bench, Washburn joined William Warren Baldwin and his son Robert in writing to request the opinion of justice Levius Peters Sherwood. Washburn pursued the matter no further and was not involved in the ensuing dispute. In a customs scandal of 1830 Washburn was criticized for delivering £75 to a customs officer for the release of some pork, allegedly smuggled by York merchant William Bergin. The payment had been arranged by Washburn’s brother-in-law James FitzGibbon, clerk of the House of Assembly, who was accused of bribery. Washburn, whose role was that of agent for FitzGibbon, emerged with his career undamaged.
    • Although Washburn was a conservative, Mackenzie observed in an obituary that “in some measure” he “took the liberal side in politics,” a reference, presumably, to his association with the Baldwins in the Willis affair. Mackenzie noted also that as a lawyer Washburn had done some “very kind and generous” things, referring to his actions on behalf of blacks and others sentenced to flogging, execution, or lengthy imprisonment for relatively minor crimes. In such cases, he almost certainly provided free legal aid.
  • Son of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=8837
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/263450026/simon_ebenezer-washburn