John Creighton (judge)

John Creighton (1721 – November 8, 1807) was one of three founding fathers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He led the settlement through the tubulent times of Father Le Loutre's War, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He represented Lunenburg County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1770 to 1775. After establishing the town, he lived the rest of his life in the village until he died fifty-four years later.

Career

He was born in Glastonbury and served as a lieutenant in the British dragoons. In 1749, he went with Edward Cornwallis to Halifax. In 1753, he relocated to Lunenburg. Creighton was a justice of the peace and captain in the militia; he later became lieutenant-colonel. In 1753, he was named a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and, in 1776, he was named a judge for the probate court. He was unsuccessful when he ran for a seat in the first election held in Nova Scotia. In 1775, he was named to the province's Council.

He participated in the Raid on Lunenburg (1782). He died in Lunenburg in 1807 and is buried in the crypt in St. John's Anglican Church (Lunenburg).

Personal life

Creighton married Lucy Clapp in 1760 after the death of his first wife, Maria. His daughter Lucy married Hibbert Newton Binney (buried in the Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia)) and his daughter Sarah married Lewis Morris Wilkins. His grandson, also named John Creighton, also served in the province's assembly.

See also

• Dettlieb Christopher Jessen
• Patrick Sutherland

References

• Beck, J. Murray (1983). "Creighton, John". In Halpenny, Francess G. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. V (1801–1820) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.