Richard Hatt was a businessman, judge and political figure in 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...

.

He was born in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, in 1769 and came to Upper Canada in 1792. He originally started business as a merchant at Niagara

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...

 but later moved to Ancaster

Ancaster, Ontario

Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara escarpment, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario along with Windsor...

, where he opened a store and built a grist mill. In 1800, he set up a number of enterprises known as the Dundas Mills north of Cootes Paradise

Cootes Paradise

Cootes Paradise is the largest wetland at the western end of Lake Ontario, on the west side of Hamilton Harbour. It is bordered by the cities of Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario, Canada. It is owned and managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens , a private charitable status organization. These lands...

; a settlement grew up around these industries. In the same year, he was named justice of the peace. During the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, he served as a major in the local militia. After the war, he was appointed judge in the court for the Gore District. He also owned the Upper Canada Phoenix, a newspaper. In 1817, he was elected to the 7th Parliament of Upper Canada

7th Parliament of Upper Canada

The 7th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 4 February 1817. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1816. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada at the home of Chief Justice of the Court William Henry Draper...

 in a by-election. He died in Dundas

Dundas, Ontario

Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...

in 1819, while still in office.