ABSTRACT

Thomas Chandler Haliburton was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, on December 17, 1796. He received his education at King's College in Windsor and then followed in the footsteps of his father and paternal grandfather by pursuing a career in public service and the law. Haliburton's public career was defined by an unshakeable Toryism forged of a long family tradition and tempered by his conservative Anglican education. In 1816, Haliburton married Louisa Neville. He was able to provide a comfortable life for his family through a series of profitable business investments that included numerous retail stores in Windsor, wharf facilities, a quarry, a joint stock company and several land investments. In 1856, the political climate in Nova Scotia had deteriorated, in Haliburton's view, to the point that his rabid anti-republicanism left him an embittered outsider. Haliburton turned his back on his native land and moved to England, taking up residence at Isleworth in Middlesex. Haliburton died at Isleworth on August 27, 1865.