Calvin Britain
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Calvin Britain
|image =
|office = 8th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
|term_start = 1852
|term_end = 1853
|governor2 = Robert McClelland
|predecessor2 = William M. Fenton
|successor2 = Andrew Parsons
|state_senate3 = Michigan
|district3 = 3rd
|term_start3 = November 2, 1835
|term_end3 = January 1, 1837
|state_house4 = Michigan
|district4 = Berrien County
|term_start4 = January 4, 1847
|term_end4 = January 2, 1848
|term_start5 = January 7, 1850
|term_end5 = January 1, 1852
|birth_date = {{birth date|1800|12|31}}
|birth_place = Jefferson County, New York US
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1862|01|18|1800|12|31|mf=yes}}
|death_place = St. Joseph, Michigan, US
|resting_place = Saint Joseph City Cemetery, St. Joseph, Michigan, US
|citizenship =
|nationality =
|party = Democratic
|parents = Gen. Calvin Britain
|children =
|alma_mater =
|religion =
|profession = {{hlist|Landowner|Speculator|Politician}}
|signature =
|website =
}}
Calvin Britain (December 31, 1800 – January 18, 1862) was an American politician who served as the eighth lieutenant governor of Michigan.
Biography
Britain was born in Jefferson County, New York. Britain came from New York to Michigan Territory in 1827 and for a time was a teacher at the Carey Mission at Niles, Michigan.
Career
In 1829 Britain and Augustus Newell acquired the lands on which the business portion of St. Joseph was later built. Newell built the first hotel in 1831 known as the "Mansion House". The government surveyed the land in 1830, and Britain laid out the plat of the village in 1831 calling it Newburyport. Britain also built a warehouse and bought and sold real estate.Coolidge, Orville W. (1906). [https://archive.org/details/twentiethcentury00cool/page/172 A Twentieth Century History of Berrien County Michigan], p. 172. The Lewis Publishing Company. The name of the town was changed to St. Joseph in 1834.
As a Democrat, Britain was a member of the Legislative Council of Michigan Territory from 1832 to 1835, Michigan Senate from 1835 to 1837, Michigan House of Representatives from 1847 to 1851, and member of the Constitutional Convention of 1850. Due to changes to the Michigan Constitution adopted at that convention, he was elected to a one-year term as lieutenant governor{{cite book|last1=Coolidge|first1=Judge Orville W.|title=a twentieth century history of berrien county michigan|year=1906|publisher=1906 the University of Michigan|page=172|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3G0Qo9lf4nsC&q=Calvin+Britain&pg=PA172}} with Governor Robert McClelland.
Death and legacy
Britain never married and resided in St. Joseph until his death there in 1862. He is interred at Saint Joseph City Cemetery, St. Joseph, Michigan.
Calvin Township in Cass County, Michigan, is named for him.Rogers, Howard S. (1875). [https://archive.org/details/historycasscoun01rogegoog/page/n210 History of Cass County, from 1825 to 1875], p. 208. W.H. Mansfield.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/bright-britten.html#RO218K7JD Political Graveyard]
- {{cite book | last = Bingham | first = Stephen D. | title = Early history of Michigan, with biographies of state officers, members of Congress, judges and legislators. Pub. pursuant to act 59, 1887 | orig-year = 1888 | url = http://name.umdl.umich.edu/bad6021.0001.001 | access-date = 2007-07-25 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of Michigan Library | location = Ann Arbor, Mich. | pages = 123 | chapter = s.v. Calvin Britain | chapter-url = http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty&cc=micounty&idno=bad6021.0001.001&q1=Fenton&frm=frameset&view=image&seq=26}}
- {{Find a Grave|30456862}}
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{{succession box
|before= William M. Fenton
|title= Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
|years= 1852-1853
|after= Andrew Parsons}}
{{s-end}}
{{Lieutenant Governors of Michigan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britain, Calvin}}
Category:Delegates to the 1850 Michigan Constitutional Convention
Category:Lieutenant governors of Michigan
Category:Democratic Party Michigan state senators
Category:Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives