Background
Richard Cartwright was born at Albany, New York in 1759. His father, Richard Cartwright, had immigrated there from England in 1742. His mother, Joanne Beasley, was from a "loyal Dutch family", and his father, an innkeeper and small landowner, soon became a pillar of the local community and was able to educate Richard privately.
During the American Revolution his father tried to remain as neutral as possible in the now rebel-occupied Albany, but a letter from Richard was intercepted by the authorities in 1777.
This showed his loyalty was not with the American Patriots.
Career
The Honorary
At Fort Niagara, the young Cartwright found employment as secretary to John Butler, and took part in military expeditions with his Loyalist regiment into New New York Cartwright settled at Kingston (which was then still called Cataraqui) in 1785, where he opened a general store. He built "Rockwood Cottage" as a family home.
This is located in the Portsmouth district, settled by Loyalists from 1784.
His business interests expanded to include importing and exporting goods, manufacturing and shipbuilding. He was an early proponent of free trade with the United States.
In 1788, he became a judge in the Court of Common Pleas and, in 1789, was named to the land board for the Mecklenburg District. He helped bring John Strachan to Upper Canada in 1792 to help improve educational facilities in the province.
Unlike Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, Cartwright believed that English institutions should be adapted to Upper Canada"s needs, and he opposed encouraging Americans to immigrate to the province.
He served as an officer in the militia during the War of 1812. Cartwright died in Kingston in 1815. He was a cousin of politician and businessman Richard Beasley.
In 1785 Cartwright married Magdalen Secord, from a well-known Loyalist family, sister-in-law of Laura Secord.
The former township of Cartwright in Durham County was named in his honour.
Membership
He became a member of the Legislative Council for the province in 1792.
