John Saunders

Saunders, John

John Saunders, judge and politician (b at Virginia Beach, Virginia 1 June 1754; d at Fredericton, NB 24 May 1834). Saunders served with distinction in the Queen's Rangers during the American Revolutionary War, and later studied law in England. Appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick in 1790, he became, in 1791, the only member of that body to hold a seat in the House of Assembly.

In 1793 Saunders was appointed a member of the Council and in 1822 became chief justice, a position he held until his death. He supported the Church of England, the imperial connection and the control of authority by the loyalist elite, and he tried to keep alive the dream of establishing a landed aristocracy in the province, becoming one of the largest landowners in the province. Although Saunders remained firmly opposed to the new political and social order emerging in New Brunswick, he attempted to do his duty until the day he died.