Wilmot, Robert Duncan National Historic Person
Lincoln, New Brunswick
Hon. Robert Duncan Wilmot, 1879
(© Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-026675)
Address :
Lincoln, New Brunswick
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1959-05-25
Life Date:
1809 to 1891
Other Name(s):
-
Wilmot, Robert Duncan
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1967-019, 1969-065, 1996-053, 2012-CED-SDC-21
Importance:
Father of Confederation, senator
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription:
One of the Fathers of Confederation, Wilmot was born in Fredericton and grew up in Saint John. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1846 and was a member almost continuously until 1861, serving in the 1850s on the Executive Council. Elected in 1865 as an anti Confederation candidate, he changed sides and was a delegate to the London Conference the following year. He was rewarded by being appointed to the Senate of the new Dominion of Canada, and in 1878 he became Speaker of the Senate and a minister without portfolio. He resigned in 1880 to become Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.