Richard Beasley

Who was Richard Beasley?

Richard Beasley was a soldier, political figure, farmer and businessman in Upper Canada.

He was born in New York in 1761 and moved to Quebec in 1777. In 1783, he formed a partnership with Peter Smith in the fur trade. In 1788, he settled in Barton Township on Lake Ontario near the current city of Hamilton, still involved in trading furs. He built a sawmill and grist mill there. However, in 1800, after speculating in land along the Grand River, he was forced to sell part of his property to cover debts. At one time he owned 13,350 acres of land in what is now Kitchener, Ontario. Much of it was later sold to German settlers.

In 1796, he was elected to the 2nd Parliament of Upper Canada, representing Durham, York & 1st Lincoln. He was also appointed magistrate in the same year. In the next Parliament, he represented West York, Lincoln & Haldimand and served as speaker from 1803 to 1804. In 1802, he became a lieutenant colonel in the York militia. In 1808, he was elected to represent West York in the 5th Parliament, but he was unseated because it was found that his agent had closed the polls too early.

Beasley occupied Burlington Heights in 1790. Financial difficulties forced Beasley to sell lands at Burlington Heights, but it was purchased by Sir Allan Napier MacNab who built Dundurn Castle on the foundations of Beasley's brick home. A recent book by David Richard Beasley gives an account of Richard Beasley's life: From Bloody Beginnings: Richard Beasley's Upper Canada [Simcoe: Davus, 2008]