Article

Sir Richard John Cartwright

Published Online January 16, 2008

Last Edited December 16, 2013

Sir Richard John Cartwright, politician (b at Kingston, Upper Canada 4 Dec 1835; d there 24 Sept 1912), grandson of Richard CARTWRIGHT. The scion of a rich, powerful, conservative and LOYALIST family, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, which he attended 1851-56, although he took no degree.

Cartwright, Sir Richard John

Sir Richard John Cartwright, politician (b at Kingston, Upper Canada 4 Dec 1835; d there 24 Sept 1912), grandson of Richard CARTWRIGHT. The scion of a rich, powerful, conservative and LOYALIST family, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, which he attended 1851-56, although he took no degree. Using family money, he became a businessman-investor with extensive interests in finance, transportation, real estate, mining and manufacturing. Cartwright represented various Ontario constituencies in Parliament 1863-1904, then entered the Senate, where he remained until he died. Initially a Tory, he broke with Sir John A. Macdonald in 1869 and was an Independent until 1873, when he joined the Liberal Party. He was a powerful Liberal leader, serving as minister of finance 1873-78 and minister of trade and commerce 1896-1911. From 1887 until after the 1891 general election, he was the effective leader of the Ontario wing of the Liberal Party and also led the faction within the party that wanted free trade with the US. He was knighted in 1879.