January 1881. Paxton resigned from the legislature on May 10, 1881. Later life and legacy Paxton began serving as sheriff of Ontario County on June 20, 1881, and soon after relocated his family to Whitby. He operated an iron ore mine in Lutterworth Township which supplied foundries in Canada and the United States during the early 1880s. Paxton died on July 3, 1887, following a lengthy illness. His funeral was well attended by people from Port Perry with many businesses closed for the day. He was interred at Dryden's burial ground – later known as the Pioneer Baptist Cemetery – in Brooklin, Ontario. His son, J. F. Paxton, was appointed to succeed him as sheriff of Ontario County. Historian J. Peter Hvidsten opined that it was common knowledge that Paxton had too many business interests at once and entrusted too much to the decisions of others, but would have died one of the wealthiest men in Ontario County had he not put public affairs before his own business ventures. Sources References 1820 births 1887 deaths 19th-century Canadian businesspeople 19th-century Canadian politicians Businesspeople from Ontario Canadian industrialists Canadian manufacturing businesspeople Canadian mining businesspeople Canadian people of English descent Canadian railway entrepreneurs Canadian sheriffs Mayors of places in Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Scugog People from Whitby, Ontario