Researching John Stevenson

Born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Stevenson's family moved to New York State (likely to the Albany, New York area and finally to Upper Canada. He was educated in Brockville and taught school briefly. Stevenson worked in various trades before entering politics:

* flour mill operator* foundry owner* axe shopkeeper* brush factory owner* lumberman* shipping company owner

In 1842, he married Phoebe Eliza Hall.

Stevenson also served as a justice of the peace and as reeve for Napanee. From 1863 to 1865, he was warden for Lennox and Addington County.

After his defeat in 1871 by John Thomas Grange, he ran for the Lennox seat in the Canadian House of Commons in 1872 as an independent, losing to Richard John Cartwright, formerly a Conservative, now a Liberal. In 1878, he campaigned on behalf of Cartwright. Stevenson died in Napanee, Ontario in 1884.

He was born in Russell, Ontario, but subsequently moved west where he worked as a farmer and lumber merchant in Saskatchewan. He made his home in Waskesiu, the only town in Prince Albert National Park.

Stevenson was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 1908 provincial election, the new province's second general election. Stevenson represented the electoral district of Francis for four years as a Liberal MLA before choosing not to run for re-election in 1912.

Stevenson was prominent as an organizer for the Liberal Party of Canada in the province. In 1940, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and represented the Senatorial division of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan until his death in 1956.

Stevenson made a single first-class appearance for Warwickshire against Lancashire at Old Trafford in the 1919 County Championship. Warwickshire made 259 in their first-innings, with Stevenson being dismissed for a duck by Charlie Hallows. In response, Lancashire made 490/5 declared in their first-innings, with Warwickshire making 187 in their second-innings, with Stevenson scoring 18 runs before he was dismissed by Lawrence Cook. Lancashire won the match by an innings and 44 runs. This was his only major appearance for Warwickshire.

He died at Edgbaston, Warwickshire on 5 December 1951.

Stevenson was born in Bondi, Sydney, on 7 October 1908. He was the son of John James Stevenson, who was born in the United States, and Caroline Maude née Rowlstone, from Sydney. He went to Canterbury Boys' Intermediate School, then took an office job. He also played hockey and drove racing cars at the Maroubra speedway.

He rose to the rank of major general in the Australian Army, serving in both the 11th Australian Infantry Brigade and the 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion in the Second World War. He died on 4 July 1971, in Fiji. He is known for accepting Nauru as Australian territory.