Joseph Gould (politician, born 1808), Date of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJoseph Gould (politician, born 1808)
Canadian politician
Date of Birth: 
About Joseph Gould (politician, born 1808)
- Joseph Gould (December 29, 1808 – January 29, 1886) was a farmer, businessman and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He was born in Uxbridge Township, Upper Canada in 1808, the son of Quakers who had come from Pennsylvania after the American Revolution.
- He bought a farm and sawmill there.
- He became interested in the Reform movement of William Lyon Mackenzie and took part in the Upper Canada Rebellion.
- Gould was captured and sentenced to be exiled to Van Diemen's Land but his sentence was reduced to 9 months in prison.
- He was pardoned as part of a general amnesty in 1838.
- After his release, his farm prospered; he also owned mills and factories and operated the Whitby, Lake Scugog, Simcoe and Huron Road.
- He also promoted the development of railway links in the region.
- Gould served on the district council from 1842 to 1854 and became the first reeve of Uxbridge Township and the first warden for Ontario County.
- He was elected to the Legislative Council for the North Riding of Ontario in 1854 and 1857; he was defeated in 1861.
- While in office, he helped pass measures to abolish seigneurial tenure and secularize the clergy reserves.
- After he left politics, he helped other members in his community by supporting the building of churches and primary schools.
- Having received very little schooling himself, he did not believe in higher education. He died in Uxbridge in 1886. His son Isaac James later served as a member of the legislative assembly for the province of Ontario and in the federal parliament.
- His daughter Alma Gould Dale was a founding member of the Quakers in western Canada.
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