John Langton

Who was John Langton?

John Langton was a Canadian businessman, political figure and civil servant.

He was born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England in 1808 and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. He emigrated to Upper Canada in 1833 and settled near Peterborough. He worked for a time in the timber trade. In 1841, he was elected to the council for the Colborne District, becoming warden in 1848. In 1851, Langton was elected to the Legislative Council for Peterborough; he was reelected in 1854. In 1855, he was named the first chairman of the Board of Audit; he resigned his seat in the assembly the following year. He also served on the senate for the University of Toronto Langton moved with the government to Quebec City in 1859 and was president of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. After Canadian Confederation in 1867, Langton was appointed the head of the federal Board of Audit. In 1870, he was also named deputy minister of finance; the Auditor General's function was later to be separated from the finance department. He retired in 1878. From 1880 to 1882, he served as president of the Canadian Institute.

He died in Toronto in 1894.