Ezekiel Hart Esq. | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Trois-Rivières, Province of Quebec | 15 May 1770
Died | 16 September 1843 Trois-Rivières, United Province of Canada | (aged 73)
Spouse |
Frances Lazarus
(m. 1794; died 1821) |
Occupation | Entrepreneur, politician |
Ezekiel Hart (15 May 1770 – 16 September 1843) was an entrepreneur and politician in British North America. He is often said to be the first Jew to be elected to public office in the British Empire.[1]
He was elected twice by the voters of Trois-Rivières to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. Some members consistently prevented him from taking his seat by observing that as a Jew, he could not take the oath of office, which included the phrase "on the true faith of a Christian".