Holding local office as a magistrate was almost essential for further prominence, but holding a commission in the militia was equally if not more important. Anglicanism was an enormous advantage in achieving prominence. In addition, national origin was also an important political divider: the number of prominent Scots was even greater than historians have previously suspected while there was a consistent under-representation of native-born Canadians in the group studied.

Prominence was usually bestowed from above, rather than achieved by upward striving and merit. Consequently patronage, having the right connections in the central executive government, was crucial to advancement beyond the first levels of prominence. Correct political views were necessary for advancement, but religion and nationality were at least as significant.

Becoming Prominent includes an extensive appendix which contains the biographical data upon which the author's findings are based.

J.K. Johnson (1930-2018) was a professor emeritus of history at Carleton University and the author of In Duty Bound: Men, Women, and the State in Upper Canada, 1783-1841.

J.K. Johnson's profile page

"There is no similar book ... this analysis is something new and stimulating in Upper Canadian History." Fred Armstrong, Department of History, University of Western Ontario
"it is a unique contribution to the historiography of Upper Canada ... It will provide the basis for the next generation of scholarship on the province." Michael Cross, Department of History, Dalhousie University