| of Lynedoch, the
present member of Parliament for North Norfolk, was born near Caledenia [sic],
N.Y. February 3rd, 1829. Mr. Charlton's father, Adam Charlton, is a
native of Northumberland County, England, and came from
Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the United States in 1824. When the subject
of this sketch was an infant, his parents moved to Ellicottville,
Cattaraugus County, N.Y., where his father for many years was employed by
the Holland Land Company, which at an early day owned a large portion of
Western New York. In April, 1849, Mr. Charlton came to Canada with his
father, who had purchased a farm near Ayr, in West Dumfries, Waterloo
County, and remained there assisting in the management of the farm till
March, 1853, when he formed a co-partnership with George Gray, Esq., and
the firm of Gray & Charlton opened a small country store at Lynedoch,
on Big Creek. The biggest established by this firm proved to be a
successful one, and grew from a modest beginning to fair proportions. At the start their capital was $1,000, out of which they built their store
and dwelling, most of the work upon which they did themselves. The
new firm carried on the timber trade in connection with their store with a
considerable degree of success. In 1859 Mr. Charlton sold out his
interest in the store to Mr. Gray, and assumed the management of the
extensive timber business of Messrs. Smith & Westover, in Canada. Two
years later he formed a partnership with James Ramsdell, of Clarence,
N.Y., and the firm of Ramsdell & Charlton purchased the interest of
Smith & Westover, in Canada, and continued in the timber business four
years, when Mr. Charlton bought Mr. Ramsdell's interest in the business
and continued it alone. His business career was a successful one'
and he was especially remarkable for his good fortune in the hazardous
business of towing timber upon the lakes. After continuing in
business alone for a number of years, Mr. Charlton took a younger brother,
Mr. Thomas Charlton, as a partner. In 1873 he extended his
operations to Michigan, where he is still engaged in the lumber trade.
Mr. Charlton had not taken an
active part in politics prior to 1872. In the general election of
that year he accepted the nomination tendered him by the Reform Convention
of the Riding of North Norfolk and after a sharp contest defeated Aquila
Walsh, Esq., the Government candidate. In the general election of
1874 he again contested the Riding and defeated Col. David Tisdale, Q.C. Mr. Charlton has attained to a prominent position among the
private members of the House of Commons, and very few speakers in the
House command better attention in debate. In April, 1873, Mr.
Charlton introduced resolutions calling upon the Government to undertake a
thorough geographical and geological survey of the North-West, and to
adopt the most efficient measures for promoting emigration to that
country, so that the resources of Canada might be developed and its
population and wealth increased as rapidly as possible. In 1874 he
introduced a similar resolution, and received the promise of the
Government that his views, so far as practicable, should be acted upon. In March, 1875, Mr. Charlton defended the policy of the
Government in relation to Mr. Brown's draft Reciprocity Treaty, in a
speech which was asserted by the leading Reform newspapers and the
supporters of the Government, to be unanswerable, and for the character of
which, as a parliamentary effort, he was complimented by Sir John A.
Macdonald. In March, 1876, Mr. Charlton, in a vigorous speech, took
ground against pushing forward work upon the Canada Pacific Railway faster
than the resources of the country would warrant without adding to the
burden of taxation. The position thus taken was subsequently
substantially adopted by the Government. In the session 1877 Mr.
Charlton had charge of the prosecution of the Secret Service investigation
before the Committee on Public Accounts. The report, which he
presented after a protracted debate, was adopted by the Committee, and
afterwards concurred in by the House. This report gave a full
history of matters connected with votes and expenditure of Secret Service
monies, pointed out various irregularities and departures from English
usage and Canadian law, and declared that Sir John A. Macdonald, in the
management and expenditure of the Secret Service Fund, had been guilty of
grave irregularities and a breach of trust; and that steps should be taken
to recover into the public chest certain sums illegally expended. An
edition of the Hansard Report of Mr. Charlton's speech on the tariff
question, made in the House March 7, 1877, was published at the expense of
a number of his friends in the House, and widely circulated in various
parts of the Dominion.
Mr. Charlton has probably
settled down for life in his comfortable home at Lynedoch, where he
commenced business nearly a quarter of a century ago. He is not
unknown in the lecture field, and he takes a warm interest in Sabbath
Schools and religious movements in his own neighborhood.
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