John Prince

John Prince, (March 12, 1796 – November 30, 1870) was a lawyer, militia officer, gentleman farmer and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West.

Early life Prince was born in England in 1796, likely in Hereford. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1821. He entered practice in Westerham, Kent and then Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. In 1823 he married Mary Ann Millington, with whom he had several children. In 1833, he moved with his family to Upper Canada, to cut off contact with his ne'er-do-well father.

Legal and business career The Princes settled in Sandwich (now Windsor) in Upper Canada. In 1835, he was named justice of the peace in the Western District. He was also appointed a commissioner in bankruptcy. He was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1838. In 1844, he was appointed Queen's Counsel. Prince was involved in the development of railways and mines in the southwest part of the province, being president or major stockholder in several companies, but his legal practice appeared to be the major source of his income through his career.

Despite facing public criticism for the executions of the Hunter Patriots, a duel, a court martial and a debate in Parliament over his actions, Prince was reelected from Essex in 1841, 1844, 1847 and 1851.

He did not participate in the vote on the proposal for the merger of Upper Canada with Lower Canada, as recommended in Lord Durham's Report, but he gave it general support, although he later expressed reservations about some of the provisions of the Union Act, 1840. In later sessions of the first Parliament and into the second Parliament, he generally supported the Reform members, who were pressing for responsible government However, towards the end of the second Parliament, in 1847, Prince shifted his support to the Tories and Conservatives, eventually voting against the Rebellion Losses Bill.

In 1857, he was elected to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada in the Western division. He was active in promoting legislation for the benefit of the Sandwich and Essex area.

Prince Township on Lake Superior near Sault Ste. Marie was named after John Prince.

One of Prince's sons, William Stratton Prince, became Chief Constable of the Toronto Police Department and the first warden of Toronto Central Prison.