Background
Born in Cattaraugus County, New York, the son of Adam Charlton, he immigrated to Canada in 1849 with his family.
Born in Cattaraugus County, New York, the son of Adam Charlton, he immigrated to Canada in 1849 with his family.
He served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1903-1904 and was Commissioner of Public Works from 1904 until 1905. During the Conscription Crisis of 1917 he supported the government of Sir Robert Borden and crossed the floor to run in the 1917 federal election as a Liberal-Unionist in support of Borden"s new Union government defeating Laurier-Liberal candidate John Alexander Wallace. In 1921 he was named to the Queen"s Privy Council for Canada.
Charlton entered politics and was first elected to the Ontario legislature as the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly for Norfolk South in the 1890 general election and served until 1904.