- Robert Lester
Robert Lester (ca 1746 –
July 12 1807 ) was a businessman and political figure inLower Canada .He was born in
Galway ,Ireland around 1746 and came to the town of Quebec around 1770. He became a merchant there, importing cloth and spirits, exporting wheat, supplyingprovisions to the army and providing small loans to individuals. He served in the militia as a captain during the American invasion of 1775-6. Lester was among those lobbying for a representative assembly and, in 1792, he was elected to the1st Parliament of Lower Canada for the Lower Town of Quebec; he was defeated in 1796 but elected again in 1800. He was named lieutenant-colonel in the militia in 1799. With his nephew, Robert Morrogh, as partner, Lester's business expanded into the timber trade; the partners had ships built for use by the business and set up a distillery and abrewery . Lester was also speculating in land in theEastern Townships . As a Roman Catholic, he was able to cultivate close ties with the Quebec clergy, including BishopJoseph-Octave Plessis .Although on the surface the company appeared to be doing well, it had overextended itself financially and went bankrupt in 1807, a common fate of businesses importing goods at that time. Lester died at Quebec City a few months later.
External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2502 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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