Langton, John, 1808-1894 : John Langton had a wide ranging career as a settler, businessman, politician and civil servant. He was born 7 April, 1808 at Blythe Hall, near Ormskirk, England, and he married Lydia Dunsford in Verulam Township, Upper Canada on 8 May, 1845 and they had eight children.
Langton immigrated to Canada in 1833. In Canada, he bought land in Fenelon and Verulam Townships and settled on Sturgeon Lake. In Canada, began as a timber tradesman but quickly decided that his talents were elsewhere. Involved in the community, Langton became involved in town councils after they were formed in 1841. He was elected to the Fenelon Township and by 1848, he had been elected warden of the Colborne District. He was also elected to the Peterborough legislature in 1851 and 1854.
Langton's main responsibilities in the Legislative Assembly was finance. In 1855, he was appointed chairman to the newly established Board of Audit and moved to Toronto. He was also appointed to the senate of the University of Toronto in 1855 and served as vice-chancellor from 1856 to 1860. After Langton moved with the government to Quebec in 1859, he was an active contributor and President of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec.
In 1866, Langton moved to Ottawa to prepare for Confederation. He was responsible for transferring accounts to federal responsibility as well as proportioning debts accumulated by the provinces. In 1867, a federal board of audit was established and Langton was appointed auditor.
After Confederation, Langton was assigned more responsibilities: member of the Civil Service Commission, secretary to the Treasury Board in 1868 and, most significantly, minister of finance in 1870. From 1880 to 1882, he was President of the Canadian Institute.
Under Langton, the accounting practices of the new dominion were given a foundation based on a close study of British practice and a consistent pursuit of carefully enunciated principles. He died on 19 March, 1894 in Toronto.
