Thomas Scatcherd was a Canadian lawyer and political figure. He represented Middlesex North

Middlesex North

Middlesex North was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Middlesex into three ridings: the Middlesex North, Middlesex West and...

 as a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 member of the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 from 1867 to 1876.

He was born in Wyton in Middlesex County

Middlesex County, Ontario

Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...

, 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...

 in 1823. His father, John Scatcherd

John Scatcherd

John Scatcherd was a farmer, merchant and political figure in Canada West. He represented West Middlesex in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1858....

, represented West Middlesex in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada

The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature 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...

 from 1854 until his death in 1858. He married Isabella Sprague, granddaughter of Elias Moore

Elias Moore

Elias Moore born into a Quaker family in New Jersey just after the American Revolution began, later became a Member of Parliament in Canada....

, who had represented Middlesex in the Legistlative Assembly during the Rebellions of 1837

Rebellions of 1837

The Rebellions of 1837 were a pair of Canadian armed uprisings that occurred in 1837 and 1838 in response to frustrations in political reform. A key shared goal was the allowance of responsible government, which was eventually achieved in the incident's aftermath.-Rebellions:The rebellions started...

.¹ Thomas articled in law in London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

 and Toronto and entered practice in 1849. In 1849, he became solicitor for the town of London. In 1861, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for West Middlesex; he was reelected in 1863. He opposed Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...

 because he felt that it was structured to favour Canada East

Canada East

Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....

. With George Brown

George Brown (Canadian politician)

George Brown was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation...

, he strongly opposed a bill introduced in 1866 to extend privileges to Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 schools in Canada West which were being proposed for Protestant

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

 schools in Canada East by Alexander Tilloch Galt

Alexander Tilloch Galt

Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, GCMG, PC was a politician and a father of Canadian Confederation.He was born in Chelsea, England, the son of Scottish novelist and colonizer, John Galt, and Elizabeth Tilloch Galt. He was a cousin of Sir Hugh Allan.Alexander Galt is interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery...

; their resistance led to the withdrawal of both bills and the resignation of Galt.

He died in Ottawa in 1876 while in office. His brother Robert Colin

Robert Colin Scatcherd

Robert Colin Scatcherd was a lawyer and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Middlesex North in the Canadian House of Commons from 1876 to 1878 as a Liberal member....

represented Middlesex North from 1876 to 1878.

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