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Ezekiel Hart (they; May 15 1770 - September 16 1843) was a Jewish Canadian entrepreneur and politician, and the first Jew elected to public office in the British Empire.

Biography

Hart was born May 15 1770 at Trois-Rivières, Quebec to Aaron Hart and Dorothea Judah.

He obtained part of his education in the United States. In 1792 his father brought him into his store and involved him in his fur-trade activities. The following year he was in New York and lived for a while at the home of Ephraim Hart and his wife Frances Noah. There he met Mrs Hart’s niece, Frances Lazarus, and in February 1794 they were married. He also looked after family affairs and settled the estate of his uncle Henry Hart, who had been a merchant in Albany, New York.

On December 2 1796 Hart and his brothers Moses and Benjamin went into partnership to establish a brewery in Trois-Rivières, the M. and E. Hart Company. By the terms of the agreement the three agreed to hold equal shares in the firm. They had the financial backing of their father. Ezekiel Hart later withdrew from the M. and E. Hart Company. Ezekiel sold everything to Moses, apparently soon after Aaron Hart’s death in 1800. Subsequently Ezekiel followed in the footsteps of his father, who was in every respect his model. He went into the import and export trade, kept a general store, never let a good business deal pass, and acquired property. Besides inheriting the seigneury of Bécancour, he bought a great deal of land, mainly at Trois-Rivières and Cap-de-la-Madeleine.

Ezekiel Hart was admitted into the militia in June 1803 and served as a lieutenant in the 8th Battalion of Trois-Rivières militia, which was placed under Lieutenant Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry in 1812. He may or may not have been at the battle of Châteauguay, since about that time he was posted to a unit that did not take part in the engagement, the 1st Battalion of Trois-Rivières militia, in which he became a captain.

On April 11 1807 was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. He caused great controversy when, being Jewish he swore his oath on a Jewish Bible. At the time, British laws prohibited Jews from such positions, and Hart was expelled from the assembly. Hart's expulsion, in part, led to the dissolution of the assembly a short time later. He was elected again in 1808 and once again expelled.

Hart did not run for public office again. He continued to live in Trois-Rivières where he was a successful businessman and well-respected member of the community. He served in the militia during the War of 1812 and became colonel in 1830. He was one of the founders of the Bank of Montreal in 1817.

His brother Moses was a businessman and property owner at Trois-Rivières. His brother Benjamin was an important businessman at Montreal. His cousin Henry Judah later became a member of the legislative assembly for the Province of Canada.

Ezekiel Hart passed away on September 16 1843 at Trois-Rivières, at the age of 73. He was accorded an impressive funeral. The stores in Trois-Rivières closed, and the 81st Foot paid him final honours. He was buried in the second Jewish cemetery in Trois-Rivières, which was on a lot that he himself had given for it. He is believed to have had 10 children. At the time he dictated his last will on June 20 1839, his wife had been dead for 18 years. At the time of his death, he had lived in an enormous well-furnished house with 16 rooms.

See also

• Jews in Canada

References

• Wallot, Jean-Pierre (1973). Un Québec Qui Bougeait. Éditions du Boréal Express. pp. 149–53, 163–64.
• Audet, Francis Joseph (1934). Les Députés de Trois-Rivières, 1808-1838. Éditions du Bien Public,.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Ezekiel Hart's obituary
• Historica’s Heritage Minute video docudrama about “the legal rights of Jews in Lower Canada” (Adobe Flash Player)

• 1770 births
• 1843 deaths
• Canadian Jews
• Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
• People from Trois-Rivières
• People from Mauricie
• Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople