Sir John Beverley Robinson, Bart. (1791-1863)

The son of Loyalists, pupil and protégé of John Strachan, John Beverley Robinson was the embodiment of the values of the early Upper Canadian Tories known as the Family Compact. For almost half a century he played a leading role in the public life of the province as Solicitor General, Attorney General, member of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative and Executive Councils, and, from 1829-1862, as Chief Justice. A defender of British institutions, of the rights of rank and property and of an established church, he was also an early proponent of British North American union. He was made a baronet in 1854.