Richard William Scott

For other persons named Richard Scott, see Richard Scott (disambiguation).

Hon. Sir Richard William Scott
Sir Richard William Scott
5th Mayor of Bytown
In office 1852 – 1853
Preceded by	Charles Sparrow
Succeeded by	J. B. Turgeon

Born	February 24, 1825 Prescott, Upper Canada
Died	April 23, 1913 Ottawa
Political party	Liberal Party of Canada
Spouse	Mary Ann Heron
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Sir Richard William Scott, PC , KC (February 24, 1825 – April 23, 1913) was a Canadian politician and cabinet minister.

He was born in Prescott, Ontario in 1825. A lawyer by training, Scott was admitted to the bar in 1848 and established a practice in Bytown (now Ottawa). He became a member of municipal council in 1851, was mayor of Bytown in 1852, and held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1857 until 1863. With Canadian Confederation, Scott won a seat in the Ontario legislature as a Liberal representing Ottawa from 1867 to 1871. He was Speaker of the legislature briefly in December 1871 before being appointed to the provincial cabinet as Commissioner of Crown Lands. Scott played a leading role in passing legislation ensuring the rights of separate schools in Ontario.

In November 1873, he left provincial politics when he was appointed minister without portfolio by Alexander Mackenzie in the federal Cabinet. Mackenzie had become prime minister after Sir John A. Macdonald's government had been forced to resign due to the Pacific Scandal. Scott was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Mackenzie in January 1874, and became Secretary of State for Canada and Leader of the Government in the Senate. A supporter of temperance, he drafted the "Scott Act" which allowed any county or municipality in Canada to prohibit the retail sale of liquor by majority vote. With the defeat of the Liberal government in the 1878 election, Scott became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate until the return of the Liberals to government under Wilfrid Laurier. Scott resumed his old Cabinet position of Secretary of State. Scott retired from the cabinet in 1908, but remained in the Senate until his death in 1913.

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by Charles Sparrow	Mayor of Bytown 1852	Succeeded by J.B. Turgeon
Preceded by None	Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Ottawa 1867–1874	Succeeded by Daniel John O'Donoghue
Preceded by John Stevenson	Speaker of the Ontario Legislature 1871	Succeeded by James Currie
Preceded by David Christie	Secretary of State of Canada 1874–1878	Succeeded by James Cox Aikins
Preceded by David Laird	Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (Acting) 1876	Succeeded by David Mills
Preceded by David Laird	Minister of the Interior (Acting) 1876	Succeeded by David Mills
Preceded by Charles Tupper	Secretary of State of Canada 1896–1908	Succeeded by Charles Murphy
Preceded by Hugh John Macdonald	Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (Acting) 1896	Succeeded by Clifford Sifton
Preceded by Hugh John Macdonald	Minister of the Interior (Acting) 1896	Succeeded by Clifford Sifton
Government offices
Preceded by Alexander Campbell	Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada 1896–1906	Succeeded by Mackenzie Bowell

	Mayors of Ottawa
Bytown: J. Scott \| J.B. Lewis \| Hervey \| Sparrow \| R.W. Scott \| Turgeon \| Friel Ottawa: J.B. Lewis \| McGillivray \| Workman \| Friel \| Dickinson \| Lyon \| Rochester \| Martineau \| Featherston \| Lyon-Fellowes \| Waller \| Bangs \| Mackintosh \| St. Jean \| Bate \| McDougal \| Stewart \| Erratt \| Birkett \| Durocher \| Cox \| Borthwick \| Bingham \| Payment \| Morris \| Davidson \| Cook \| J. Ellis \| Hastey \| D. Scott \| Champagne \| Hopewell \| Hinchey \| McVeity \| Porter \| Fisher \| Plant \| Watters \| Balharrie \| A. Ellis \| Allen \| Nolan \| J.E.S. Lewis \| Bourque \| Goodwin \| Whitton \| Nelms \| Reid \| Fogarty \| Benoit \| Greenberg \| Dewar \| Durrell \| Laviolette \| Holzman \| Watson \| Higdon New city of Ottawa: Chiarelli \| O'Brien