| John William Dunscomb | |
| Office: | Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Beauharnois |
| Term: | 1841–1842 |
| Predecessor: | New position |
| Successor: | Edward Gibbon Wakefield |
| Office2: | Alderman, Montreal municipal council |
| Term2: | 1840–1841 |
| Birth Date: | 23 February 1804 |
| Birth Place: | St. John's, Newfoundland |
| Death Place: | Quebec City, Quebec |
| Party: | Unionist; Government supporter |
| Spouse: | Caroline Birch Dumford |
| Children: | 1 daughter |
| Father: | John Dunscombe |
| Occupation: | Merchant |
John William Dunscomb (February 23, 1804 - December 16, 1891) was a merchant and political figure in Canada East, Province of Canada (now Quebec). He represented Beauharnois in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1842 as a Government supporter and supporter of the union of the two Canadas.
Dunscomb was born in 1804 in St. John's, Newfoundland, the son of John Dunscombe, but his business was based in Montreal, Lower Canada. He married Caroline Birch Dumford, with whom he had one daughter.[1]
Dunscomb served on the municipal council for Montreal from 1840 to 1841, when he resigned from the council.
Following the rebellion in Lower Canada, and the similar rebellion in 1837 in Upper Canada (now Ontario), the British government decided to merge the two provinces into a single province, as recommended by Lord Durham in the Durham Report. The Union Act, 1840, passed by the British Parliament, abolished the two provinces and their separate parliaments, and created the Province of Canada, with a single parliament for the entire province, composed of an elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council. The Governor General retained a strong position in the government.[2] [3] [4]
Dunscomb stood for election in first general election in 1841, for the riding of Beauharnois, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the new Parliament. He was a Government supporter, who favoured the union of Lower Canada and Upper Canada into a single province. He generally supported the British Governor-General, Lord Sydenham.[5]
In the second session of the Parliament, held in 1842, there was a major re-organisation of the ministry, when the new Governor-General, Sir Charles Bagot, appointed two strong reformers to the Executive Council, Robert Baldwin from Canada West, and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine from Canada East. Dunscomb was a co-mover of a resolution, along with John Simpson, expressing satisfaction with the new Council. The resolution stated that: "it was absolutely necessary to invite that large portion of our fellow subjects who are of French origin to share in the government of this country." The motion passed, although heavily amended.[5]
On July 15, 1842, Dunscomb was appointed Warden of Trinity House in Montreal. He resigned his seat in the Assembly on October 8, 1842.[6]
He later served as customs collector at Quebec City and as Customs Commissioner for the Province of Canada. He was the author of Provincial Laws of the Customs and Canadian Custom House Guide, both published in 1844.
Dunscomb died in Quebec City at the age of 87.[1]
1st Parliament of the Province of Canada