John Fillis was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. He was a member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia

1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia

1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between October 2, 1758 and December 4, 1759, its membership being set in the 1758 Nova Scotia general election....

 and later represented Halifax County from 1768 to 1770, Barrington township from 1772 to 1785 and Halifax township from 1785 to 1792 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of John Fillis, and came to Nova Scotia around 1751. He had married Elizabeth Stoddard in 1747. Fillis established a shipping business based in Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

, with a branch in Boston. He also set up a distillery in Halifax. In 1756, he married Sarah Cleveland (Rudduck). Fillis was also a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. He died in office in Halifax.