Background
He was born in Coleford, Gloucestershire, England in 1781. He was the son of Elmes Steel (d1824), surgeon of Coleford, and Mary Benfield (1749-1831).
farmer lieutenant naval officer
He was born in Coleford, Gloucestershire, England in 1781. He was the son of Elmes Steel (d1824), surgeon of Coleford, and Mary Benfield (1749-1831).
He retired from the navy in 1812 on half-pay. He settled in France, but returned to England at the start of the French Revolution of 1830. In 1832, he settled on a large farm in Medonte Township in Upper Canada.
In 1833, he was named a justice of the peace.
Steele helped raise a group of volunteers from the township to help put down the Upper Canada Rebellion. He was a lieutenant-colonel in the local militia.
With others, he signed a petition advocating the development of a water route connecting the Bay of Quinte to Lake Huron. Steele was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada as a Reformer in 1841.
During his term in office, he lobbied for improvements on the road connecting Orillia and Toronto.
He died in Medonte Township in 1865.