View source for Thomas Coffin (Lower Canada politician)

{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
'''Thomas Coffin''' (July 5, 1762 &ndash; July 18, 1841) was a businessman, [[seigneurial system of New France|seigneur]] and political figure in [[Lower Canada]].
He was born in [[Boston]] in 1762, the son of [[John Coffin (1729-1808)|John Coffin]], and came to the [[Quebec City|town of Quebec]] with his family in 1775. He became a merchant in [[Montreal]]. In 1786, he married Marguerite, the daughter of [[Louis-Joseph Godefroy de Tonnancour]], and settled at the seigneury of Pointe-du-Lac. Coffin served as the sheriff for Trois-Rivières district from 1790 to 1791. He was elected to the [[Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada]] for [[Saint-Maurice (Lower Canada)|Saint-Maurice]] in 1792; he was reelected in 1796, 1800 and 1808. He was named a [[justice of the peace]] in 1794. In 1795, a large portion of his properties were sold to cover an unpaid debt. In 1798, with [[John Craigie (politician)|John Craigie]], he established an ironworks at [[Batiscan, Quebec|Batiscan]]. Coffin was elected to the legislative assembly for [[Trois-Rivières (Lower Canada)|Trois-Rivières]] in 1810. In 1817, he was named to the [[Legislative Council of Lower Canada|Legislative Council]] and served until 1838. Coffin also served as colonel for the local militia and commissioner of police for [[Trois-Rivières, Quebec|Trois-Rivières]].
He died in Trois-Rivières in 1841.
His brother [[Nathaniel Coffin|Nathaniel]] was a provincial surveyor and also served in the legislative assembly.
==External links==
* {{Quebec MNA biography|coffin-thomas-2615}}
*{{Cite DCB|3324}}
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{{succession box | title=[[Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada|MLA]], District of [[Saint-Maurice (Lower Canada)|Saint-Maurice]] |with =  [[Augustin Rivard-Dufresne]], [[Parti Canadien]]<br />[[Nicholas Montour]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]<br />[[Mathew Bell]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]| before=Parliamentary system established in 1792| after=[[David Monro (merchant)|David Monro]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]<br />[[Michel Caron (politician)|Michel Caron]], [[Parti Canadien]]| years=1792&ndash;1804}}
{{succession box | title=[[Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada|MLA]], District of [[Saint-Maurice (Lower Canada)|Saint-Maurice]] |with =  [[Michel Caron (politician)|Michel Caron]], [[Parti Canadien]]| before=[[David Monro (merchant)|David Monro]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]<br />[[Michel Caron (politician)|Michel Caron]], [[Parti Canadien]]| after=[[Louis Gugy]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]<br />[[Michel Caron (politician)|Michel Caron]], [[Parti Canadien]]| years=1808&ndash;1809}}
{{succession box | title=[[Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada|MLA]], District of [[Trois-Rivières (Lower Canada)|Trois-Rivières]] |with =  [[Mathew Bell]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]| before=[[Joseph Badeaux]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]<br />[[Mathew Bell]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]| after=[[Amable Berthelot]], [[Parti Canadien]]<br />[[Charles Richard Ogden]], [[Château Clique|Tory]]| years=1810&ndash;1814}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffin, Thomas}}
[[Category:1762 births]]
[[Category:1841 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada]]
[[Category:Politicians from Boston]]
[[Category:Canadian justices of the peace]]
[[Category:18th-century Canadian merchants]]