Jacob Æmilius Irving was a soldier and political figure in the Province of Canada

Province of Canada

The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...

. He served as a member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...

 from 1843 to 1856.

He was born in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, the son of Jacob Aemilius Irving. Irving served in the 13th Regiment of Dragoons, reaching the rank of lieutenant. He married Catherine Diana Homfray in 1821 and came to Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

 with his family in 1834. Irving helped suppress the Upper Canada Rebellion

Upper Canada Rebellion

The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...

, serving on the Niagara frontier. He settled in Newmarket

Newmarket, Ontario

Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...

. Irving became the first warden for the Simcoe District in 1843.

His son Æmilius

Aemilius Irving

Sir Æmilius Irving was a Canadian lawyer and politician.Born in Leamington, England, the son of Jacob Æmilius Irving and Catherine Diana Homfray, Leamington was educated at Upper Canada College, became a barrister in 1849, and was created a Queen's Counsel in 1863...

served in the Canadian House of Commons.