# Benjamin Tett

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**Benjamin Tett** (February 14, 1798 – May 15, 1878) was an [Ontario](/source/Ontario) businessman and political figure. He represented [Leeds South](/source/Leeds_South_(Canadian_electoral_district)) as a [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_of_Ontario) member of the [1st Parliament of Ontario](/source/1st_Parliament_of_Ontario).

He was born in [Hinton St. George](/source/Hinton_St._George) in [England](/source/England) in 1798, the son of John Tett who manufactured cloth for ships' sails, and came to [Perth](/source/Perth,_Ontario), [Upper Canada](/source/Upper_Canada) in 1820, later moving to [Newboro](/source/Newboro,_Ontario). He served on the district council of the [Johnstown District](/source/Johnstown_District,_Upper_Canada) representing [North Crosby](/source/North_Crosby_Township,_Ontario). Around 1830, he set up a [sawmill](/source/Sawmill) north of [Kingston](/source/Kingston,_Ontario) at [Bedford Mills](/source/Bedford_Mills,_Ontario), anticipating the completion of the [Rideau Canal](/source/Rideau_Canal). In partnership with the Chaffey family and others, he established a booming timber business in the area. He also constructed a [gristmill](/source/Gristmill) and opened a general store. In 1833, he married Julianna Poole. Tett ran unsuccessfully in Leeds for a seat in the legislative assembly of [Upper Canada](/source/Upper_Canada) in 1838. He was again unsuccessful when he ran for the South [Leeds](/source/Leeds_County,_Ontario) seat in the [Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada](/source/Legislative_Assembly_of_the_Province_of_Canada) in 1854 but went on to represent South Leeds in the assembly from 1858 to 1863. In 1863, he was defeated by [Albert Norton Richards](/source/Albert_Norton_Richards) for the same seat. Tett also served as a justice of the peace.

His daughter Elizabeth married doctor [Robert Henry Preston](/source/Robert_Henry_Preston), who later represented South Leeds in the provincial assembly. His great-grandson [John Tett](/source/John_Tett) is the namesake of Kingston's Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning.

## External links

- *[History of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario](https://archive.org/details/leedsgrenville00leavuoft)* by [Thaddeus William Henry Leavitt](/source/Thaddeus_William_Henry_Leavitt)
- Morgan, Henry J. (ed.) (1862). [*The Canadian Parliamentary Companion*](https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.32450/45). First ed. John Lovell. p. 41.
- [Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario](http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_all_detail.do?locale=en&ID=756)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Benjamin Tett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Tett) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Tett?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.