John Langton, who settled in Fenelon Township in 1833, rose to prominence as a Conservative politician, becoming Auditor General for Public Accounts under John A. McDonald in 1855 and Canada’s first Auditor General after Confederation. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1855 to 1859, and aided with the expansion of that institution.

John was descended from a family of wealthy Lancashire gentry. His father, Thomas Langton, had four older brothers. The eldest brother inherited the family business, Langton, Birley & Co., which imported flax and hemp to make sails, forcing Thomas to procure a substantial independent income to continue to enjoy the comfortable life of his childhood. In 1787, at age 17, Thomas left for Riga to work with Thorley, Morrison & Co., understanding that after he gained experience and reached age 18, he would be given a full partnership in the business. He did not get as large a share as he had been promised, as a clerk was admitted into partnership simultaneously. Thomas disliked and feared Russia’s Emperor, Paul (1796-1801) and questioned the profitability of remaining there. He had already profited sufficiently to enjoy a comfortable retirement. After two decades in Russia, Thomas returned to England, and invested his fortune with Langton, Birley & Co.

In 1802, Thomas married Ellen Currer, who had connections to the Bronte family. While tenants at Farfield Hall, William and Anne were born. Thomas then bought Blythe Hall, a beautiful and historic mansion near Ormskirk, in Lancashire, where he farmed. John was born at Blythe Hall on April 6, 1808. Thomas put much of his energy into educating his children, especially in classical subjects, and hired a French priest to aid him.

Determined to give his children a broader education, Thomas let Blythe Hall in 1815 and embarked for Switzerland. There he enrolled John in Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’s School, and chose tutors for William and Anne from the institute masters. Pestalozzi felt that most schools excessively emphasized the reading and memorization of tracts. His method required children to gather information with their senses, which they would then use to make rational deductions to come to their own conclusion. He encouraged spontaneity and wanted his students to focus on their areas of interest.

After two years at Yverdon, Thomas concluded that William needed to live in a milder climate and took the family to Rome for two years, in addition to stays in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. In these various schools, John’s studies focused on literature and languages.

In 1820, Thomas Langton learned that Langton, Birley and Co. was collapsing under the direction of his nephew, Joshua Langton, and immediately returned to England. In addition to the economic stress from the depression that followed the Napoleonic Wars, Joshua had lost much of the firm’s capital in speculation. Consequently the Langtons had to sell Blythe Hall and moved first to a small house in Liverpool, then to Bootle. William fared well as a banker in Manchester, but Thomas refused to accept financial assistance from his son. In 1826 Thomas was on the verge of bankruptcy and settled with his creditors.

In the meantime, John attended Cambridge. His family’s financial crisis sufficiently reduced their means that they could no longer fund his education, but, fortunately, his aunt sponsored him until his graduation with a Master’s degree in 1829. John’s degree was only sufficient for him to work as a junior barrister and his family lacked the resources to send him to law school. He spent the next few years in Liverpool experimenting in search of a profitable livelihood before he left in 1833 to make his fortune as a farmer in the New World.

On July 23, Langton arrived in Peterborough, a growing village of a few hundred people. Natives William and Stephen Elliot guided him to the Upper Kawartha Lakes, where property prices were lower. When he arrived, Jameson already owned property and was planning a mill at Cameron’s Falls (Fenelon Falls). In Bobcaygeon, Captain Sawers operated an inn and Thomas Need had a farm, which he soon gave up to build a mill. John continued on to Balsam Lake, but a storm forced him to turn back.

Langton thought that the Kawartha Lakes region had excellent economic potential. He expected that the Trent Valley Canal would be constructed through the region, to the immense benefit of all on the lakes. He ignored Lieutenant-Governor John Colborne’s advice to visit the Western districts before settling in the Kawarthas, trusting in their apparently superior economic potential and suggesting that:

It is the most English of all the districts and a society of a superior caste; lands are to be purchased there cheaper than in any part at an equal distance from a market; there is not that want for water that has caused such great loss in many of the inland townships; instead of being shut up on all sides by the forests, you may obtain a healthy, airy frontage to some of the numerous lakes which, besides making the situation more pleasant, and I should think, healthy, enables the settlers to burn, when in the confined clearings in the heart of the forest there is not a breath of air stirring; mill sites are of course more numerous; labour is cheaper; and lastly and principally, they have an extent of internal navigation unparalleled in any part of the world, I should think.

In mid August, Langton found a specific site on Sturgeon Lake that he believed to have particular value, with a small creek that had a fall of 20 feet near the lake. He immediately saw potential to use this creek to power a mill. He was also excited that the lot contained a cedar swamp, a feature strongly disliked by most settlers, expecting that once drained it would prove excellent land.

Langton bought this land at a government sale and his close friend McAndrew purchased a parcel on the other side of Sturgeon Lake. Langton also bought two United Empire Loyalists’ claims to property, sold one at a profit, and used the other one to get a lot adjacent to his property. In total Langton acquired about 380 acres, incorporating lots 16 to 17 of the tenth concession and lot 16 of the eleventh in Fenelon Township. He expected his property to increase in value within a few years, as the anticipated influx of settlers would make land scarce.

He hired two labourers to clear the forest from his land, a slow process since a worker could not complete more than about ten acres per year. Initially John slept beneath logs, covered with vines, and a canoe that he acquired from the local Mississauga natives. Later that fall, on one of his trips to more populated areas, he hired a friend and advisor he met in the colony, Daniel O’Flynn, to cut trees for him.

John’s three workers succeeding in clearing a “road” up from the lake and a frame of a shanty by October 19. Langton’s shanty was far more refined than many that were found in the backwoods, constructed using planks that he had shipped from Purdy’s Mills (Lindsay) for his walls and roof, with canvas as his door. Nonetheless, because the lumber was not dimensionally stable, Langton ended up with a leaky residence, a nuisance which persisted until he had it shingled.

In some respects backcountry life was terrible. Despite his best efforts and the consumption of massive heaps of firewood, his drafty shanty could not be kept warm. It was common in the winter for the interior to be well below the freezing point. Initially, he improvised to meet his wants and necessities. He had very little furniture in his shanty. Empty barrels and chests served as tables and chairs. He slept in buffalo skins. Prior to the completion of the chimney, his house was terribly smoky, with only a hole in the roof for exhaust.

Despite the primitive conditions, in several respects Langton lived the leisurely life of a gentleman farmer that was the ambition of his peers back in England. He had a washerwoman and a boy who cooked and carried water or firewood, so Langton was able to avoid much of the difficult labour. While on the farm, he had a relatively enjoyable daily routine. He rose early in the morning and had an unhurried breakfast. He then smoked a cigar while he read. Later in the day, he superintended his workers, followed by dinner and another cigar while he sat in contemplation. Then he would spend a few hours reading or writing, before going to bed. He had little difficulty finding time for projects such as producing maps of the district and attempting to learn Ojibway based on a Biblical translation.

By the spring of 1834, his cabin was becoming much more comfortable. His workers installed doors that he imported, plastered the outside of the building and built a chimney of mud, stones and wood. The dwelling boasted an anteroom, sitting room, two bedrooms and a kitchen. Langton furnished it with well-stocked bookshelves, a table and several chairs. It was quite luxurious for a “temporary habitation for a couple of years.”

Langton’s diet consisted primarily of unleavened bread prepared in a frying pan, salt pork and potatoes. Turnips were a luxury which he served on special occasions. He derived considerable enjoyment from hunting and fishing, especially with his friend Thomas Need. Both fish and venison could be acquired from the Mississauga at very reasonable rates. Beef was available occasionally, but could not be kept except during the winter. He had tea, but sugar was scarce and milk was not available. Porcupine was tasty, although infrequently eaten.

Langton spent much of his time travelling to visit friends or conduct business. He frequently visited the other gentry who settled on the Upper Kawartha Lakes, and stayed for periods of up to a week. His friends occasionally each hosted gatherings on consecutive days, creating a kind of social tour that kept them from their farms and businesses. He journeyed as far as Peterborough to attend social functions such as balls, in addition to his frequent trips for supplies. Some provisions required trips to Kingston or Toronto.

In the meantime his farm continued to grow despite a scare in May 1834 in which he lost control of a burn. When his workers completed an icehouse in late 1834, it joined a root house, a hen house, two pigsties, a cattle shed, a woodshed and two shanties, in addition to his cabin. Aided by the hiring of Abraham Fitchett in early 1834 and John Menzies by the following year, his workers continued to battle the forests and sow his crops. They grew about 1,000 bushels of wheat in 1835, in addition to mangelwurzel for fodder, turnips, peas, corn, potatoes, kidney beans and tomatoes. In 1836 he contracted for the construction of a barn, and added the Alice, a four-oared boat he purchased at Kingston for £8 10s.

The development of John’s farm was of considerable interest to his father. Thomas’ financial woes continued, but he would not accept assistance from his eldest son, William, who was prospering as a banker. Thomas was determined to independently provide comforts for his family. As his ventures in England continued to fail he began to look towards the opportunity that the New World seemed to offer, even though he was in his mid-sixties.

As early as the autumn of 1833, Thomas questioned John about the profitability of the new world and the feasibility of his own emigration. John accurately observed that his farm was far from ready to receive his father, mother, aunt and sister. Thomas’ interest continued despite John’s realization in 1835 that Canada offered nothing close to the opportunities for profit that he had expected. Thomas had John make the preparations for their arrival, which included the construction of a finer home, commenced in May, 1837.

Thomas sailed with his daughter Anne, wife Ellen and sister-in-law Alice Currer, arriving in Peterborough in August. When they reached the farm, their house was well underway with John acting as glazier. Thomas’ family moved into the new home, Blythe, in November 1837, while John remained in his cabin until after his marriage to Lydia Dunsford on May 8, 1845. Thomas was not able to enjoy the new house for long, dying on May 4, 1838.

John was interested in shaping the development of the nascent community, particularly the establishment of a church. He approached the appropriate Bishop to ask for the appointment of Reverend Wade, a travelling missionary, but was declined. Langton, James Wallis and Robert Dennistoun raised about £600 in donations from their friends in Great Britain, which they lent to St. John’s Peterborough to fund a clergyman for Fenelon Falls. In the meantime, the Langtons hosted Sunday services at Blythe, where John read the liturgy.

Langton was appointed a captain in the 5th company of the Durham militia and took considerable pride in his men. Throughout his years at Blythe, he helped his neighbours by buying supplies on their behalf when he visited market towns. He enjoyed his membership in the University Club, a society of settlers in Verulam and Fenelon townships who had attended either Oxford or Cambridge. The Langtons hosted a ploughing match in July 1842.

John Langton’s political career originated in this period. He participated in a short-lived council created in 1837 to build a steamer for the Upper Kawartha Lakes. In 1842 Governor General Lord Sydenham restructured government to allow local affairs to be managed in the district and Langton was appointed district councillor for Fenelon. He was not particularly fond of the position, and hoped to avoid serving a second term. From the beginning of his political career in the colony he was staunchly conservative and distrustful of the Reformers.

Blythe farm was not as lucrative as John had expected. His initial excitement quickly faded and by 1835 he confessed that his initial prognosis had been far too optimistic. John did not give up on the area’s potential for profit, but spoke of making his fortune in the longer term. He succeeded in clearing 80 acres by 1841, and had told William that he was turning £40 profit annually, but he increasingly spoke of having to find an alternate source of income. By the mid-1840s, having conclusively determined that he could not turn a sufficient profit on his farm to support a life of relative comfort, he considered building a distillery on his creek. His mother’s moral objections ended that plan.

Although he had tired of politics as district councillor, John considered running to represent the area, and discussed his potential with his brother William. In 1844, he declined the nomination to run for Parliament, fearing that a voter split would kill the conservatives’ chances, and instead became Warden of the District Council.

In 1846, a ague epidemic struck Sturgeon Lake. Most instances of fever and ague were benign tertian malaria spread by mosquitoes, which caused severe headaches, chills and anaemia. Common in new settlements, ague had plagued Sturgeon Lake to a lesser degree from 1834 onwards. The severity of the attacks of ague seemed to increase in the early 1840s. In 1846, it caused the death of Alice Currer and Ellen Langton and ended all work on the farm. John, Lydia and Anne left for Peterborough in September, but returned the following month to spend the winter at Blythe. In June 1847, they sailed for England. John and Lydia returned after three weeks, while Anne remained.

John continued to explore additional income and entered a partnership with Mossom Boyd and James W. Dunsford. They exported lumber via Peterborough to Quebec, to be transhipped to Europe. He found the partnership a challenge since Mossom Boyd was assertive while Dunsford was passive. In addition, Langton invested in several local mills, but these were not profitable, and he sold them in 1854.

John allowed his 1851 nomination as Conservative candidate for the County of Peterborough to stand and won the election. He rented a house in Peterborough and leased Blythe, intending to eventually return. In 1855, he demonstrated that he understood a financial discrepancy that had been incomprehensible to the Finance Minister, prompting John A. Macdonald to ask him to succeed William Cayley as Auditor General of Accounts.

That same year Langton became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Toronto amidst considerable controversy over whether its endowment should be split to accommodate Queen’s University, Trinity College and Victoria College. Langton astutely concluded that if he spent the funds on improving his University it would end the issue, since the lure would be lost for the other institutions.

In 1859, Parliament transferred to Quebec and Langton resigned as Vice-Chancellor of the University. In 1866 he joined the Canadian delegation that travelled to London to decide the process of Confederation. John Langton returned to Ottawa where he continued as Auditor General until his retirement in 1878. He then moved to Toronto, where he died on March 19, 1894.

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