Robert Randal

rdf:langString Robert Randal

rdf:langString Robert Randal (c. 1766 – May 2, 1834) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada and the United States. He was born in the United States and convicted of attempting to bribe members of the United States Congress in order to buy the lower Michigan peninsula. He bought mills and acres of land in Upper Canada. However, his businesses were unsuccessful and sold to British creditors. He was arrested in Montreal and he was sued for unpaid debts. He hired G. D'Arcy Boulton as his lawyer to protect his properties, but the delay in court proceedings put him in debt with the lawyers, causing more of his properties to be sold to pay his debts. Randal was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada in 1820 to represent the 4th Riding of Lincoln. He successfully brought a petition from the Upper Canadian legislature to the British Parliament in London asking for civil rights for American loyalists who moved to Upper Canada. Reformers used his biography to campaign against the political elite of Upper Canada. Historians are divided on Randal's success: some see him as a man who tried to deceive while others thought he was an unsuccessful businessman.