The Dodd father
Archibald Charles Dodd was founding member of Cape Breton
Archibald Charles Dodd was one of the key founding members in the colony of Cape Breton.
Dodd was born into a wealthy family in Tofthouse, Northumberland. He quickly lost what money he had through a series of bad investments. He was forced to gain employment as a lawyer.
In 1775, Dodd married a wealthy British heiress. Once her money was spent, Dodd claimed she was a bigamist and he left her.
As a lawyer, Dodd began to represent the interests of the Loyalists, who were fleeing America in the American Revolution and claiming land in British North America in droves. During a negotiation to obtain an army commission for Capt. Edward Pellew, who would become Lord Exmouth, the captain claimed that the money to purchase the commission disappeared. The blame was placed on Dodd and, despite his protestations of innocence, Dodd fled England to settle in Cape Breton in 1787.
When Dodd arrived he was one of two lawyers in the colony. This made him a valuable asset to the government and he began working for Lt.-gov. Joseph Frederick Wallet Desbarres as clerk of the executive council of the colony of Cape Breton.
In 1788, the new Lt.gov. William Macarmick appointed Dodd to be his private secretary. That same year, Dodd married Gibbons’ daughter Susannah.
POLITICAL MASTER
Dodd was a master of political tact. He played a very subtle role in the divided government of Cape Breton, which allowed him to be seen as a neutral party.
The dual factions of Cape Breton continued to plague the colony. When John Murray tried to sooth the divide by appointing members from both sides to his council, Dodd was one of those who received the appointment. However, when members of Dodd’s faction questioned the authority of Murray, all were dismissed from the council. In Dodd’s case, he was accused of packing juries during his term as chief justice.
In 1800, John Despard came to power in Cape Breton. Dodd supported Despard’s efforts and was rewarded with a seat on council. He was also named deputy surveyor of the woods in 1803 and once again became chief justice in 1806.
Soon after his appointment, Dodd fell out with Despard over the legality of taxing imported rum. Many argued that any tax imposed without the consent of Parliament or a local House of Assembly was considered illegal. The colony of Cape Breton did not establish a House of Assembly as the colony’s population was so small. He was removed from council again in 1807. Dodd, was, however, permitted to continue as chief justice.
DISMISSED AGAIN
When Nicholas Nepean arrived in Cape Breton to try his hat at governance, he reappointed Dodd to council. Dodd continue to appeal to Nepean to institute the rum tax, but he wanted none of it. Soon, Dodd was dismissed yet again.
When Nepean was replaced by Hugh Swayne in 1813, the rum tax was reinstated and so was Dodd. Soon after, Dodd’s past caught up to him. His former wife reappeared and accused Dodd of abandoning her. Then Lord Exmouth reappeared, charging Dodd with swindling him during the negotiation of his commission.
Dodd denied these charges but his reputation was so besmirched that Swayne was obliged to suspend Dodd as chief justice of the colony.
Out of a job and looking to defend his current marriage, which had produced 11 children, Dodd went to England in late 1813. He remained there for three years.
Dodd believed that the charges were manifested under pressure from Nepean and Gibbons. Dodd further claimed that Lord Exmouth had not brought charges against him in the two years following the incident when he still lived in London, so why now? Since Exmouth was on duty in the Mediterranean and he failed to bring the case to court, Lord Bathurst, the colonial secretary, dismissed the case and reinstated Dodd as chief justice.
It was also believed that Dodd’s first wife did present a petition to the court for her abandonment in 1818, but since Dodd had paid her a monthly sum, nothing came of it.
RETURN TO CAPE BRETON
Dodd returned to Cape Breton in August of 1816. He presided over a dispute between the crown and the law firm of Ritchie and Leaver, who were operating local mines in the Cape Breton and paid their miners in rum. The company did not want to pay taxes on that rum.
His time in England must have swayed his opinion because Dodd found that the rum tax was illegal. The tax was suspended and the colony was left without funds. The government exploded into chaos.
In 1820, the colony of Cape Breton was annexed to Nova Scotia. Dodd and some of the other members of the Cape Breton Colonial Government were given full pensions. He lived the rest of his days in Sydney with his family and died from injuries he received when he fell from his horse in 1831. On the day of his funeral, all Sydney businesses were closed and the ships in the harbour flew their flags at half mast.
Dodd’s political career was a tumultuous one. He rose and he fell at the whims of political posturing. His family remained an influential part of Cape Breton as his son Edmund Murray Dodd became Sydney’s first elected representative and member of the House of Assembly in Halifax.