Baldwin, Robert (1804-1858), served as co-premier of the Province of Canada with Louis H. Lafontaine from 1842 to 1843 and from 1848 to 1851. The two men led the Reform Party, the first political party to gain both English Canadian and French Canadian support.
In 1848, Baldwin and Lafontaine, a reformer from Quebec, established responsible government for the Province of Canada. Under this form of government, the majority party in the elected Legislative Assembly controlled the province. Before 1848, an appointed governor in effect held power. Under responsible government, the governor played a neutral role, approving laws created by the Assembly. Baldwin and Lafontaine’s second administration brought prosperity and stability to Canada. It encouraged railroad construction, built canals, and created the University of Toronto.
Baldwin was born on May 12, 1804, in York, Upper Canada (now Toronto, Ontario). In 1829, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. Baldwin served briefly on the Executive Council, the governor’s cabinet, in 1836 and 1841. He died on Dec. 9, 1858.
