John Babington Macaulay Baxter

For other people named John Baxter, see John Baxter (disambiguation).

John Babington Macaulay Baxter PC KC DCL (February 16, 1868 – December 27, 1946) was a Canadian barrister and jurist who was the 19th premier of New Brunswick.

The Honourable John Babington Macaulay Baxter PC KC DCL
Baxter in 1944
19th Premier of New Brunswick
In office September 14, 1925 – May 19, 1931
Monarch	George V
Lieutenant Governor	William Frederick Todd Hugh Havelock McLean
Preceded by	Peter J. Veniot
Succeeded by	Charles D. Richards
Member of the Canadian Parliament for St. John—Albert
In office December 6, 1921 – July 23, 1925 Serving with Murray MacLaren
Preceded by	Rupert Wilson Wigmore
Succeeded by	Thomas Bell
Minister of Customs and Excise
In office September 21, 1921 – December 29, 1921
Prime Minister	Arthur Meighen
Preceded by	Rupert Wilson Wigmore
Succeeded by	Jacques Bureau
Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Saint John County
In office December 7, 1911 – December 6, 1921 Serving with Allister F. Bentley, Thomas B. Carson, and L. Murray Curran
Preceded by	James Lowell
Succeeded by	Allister F. Bentley
In office August 10, 1925 – May 19, 1931 Serving with Frank L. Potts and H. Colby Smith
Preceded by	Allister F. Bentley
Succeeded by	Robert McAllister
Personal details
Born	(1868-02-16)February 16, 1868 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Died	December 27, 1946(1946-12-27) (aged 78) Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Grace W. Coster ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	John B. M. Jr.; Frederick Coster Noel; Eleanor Crowden; and Mary Faith
Alma mater	King's College
Occupation	Author military officer jurist politician warden
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Militia Canadian Army
Years of service	1888–1912
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Commands	3rd Field Artillery Regiment

Baxter rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Canadian Army and was the author of Historical Records of the New Brunswick Regiment, Royal Artillery, published in 1896, about the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment which he would later command from 1907 to 1912. He also had a keen interest in genealogy and in 1943 the New Brunswick Museum published his book titled Simon Baxter - The first United Empire Loyalist to settle in New Brunswick, (Canada).

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, John Baxter served on the municipal council for eighteen years from 1892 to 1910. A Conservative Party member, he was elected to the 32nd New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1911. He was appointed Attorney-General of the province, holding that office from 1915 to 1917. He entered federal politics and was Minister of Customs and Excise under Arthur Meighen, the 9th Prime Minister of Canada, in 1921 before taking over the leadership of the provincial Conservative party and leading it to victory in 1925.

Baxter was a leader of the Maritime Rights Movement which expressed the discontent felt by the maritime provinces concerning their loss of influence in the Canadian Confederation dominated by the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

He left politics in 1931 and was appointed Chief Justice of the New Brunswick Supreme Court in 1935, which he would serve for the remainder of his life. Additionally, Baxter was a Freemason and served as the Grand Master for the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick, holding meetings at the Saint John Masonic Temple.^[1][2]

His son, John B. M. Baxter Jr., later served in the cabinet of Richard Hatfield.

He died in West Saint John in 1946 at 78.^[3]