Alexander Campbell (Canadian senator)

The Honourable
Sir Alexander Campbell
KCMG PC QC
Member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada for Cataraqui
In office
1858–1867
Senator for Cataraqui, Ontario[1]
In office
October 23, 1867  February 7, 1887
6th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office
June 1, 1887  May 24, 1892
Monarch Victoria
Governor General The Marquess of Lansdowne
The Lord Stanley of Preston
Premier Oliver Mowat
Preceded by John Beverley Robinson
Succeeded by George Airey Kirkpatrick
Personal details
Born (1822-03-09)March 9, 1822
Hedon, Yorkshire, England
Died May 24, 1892(1892-05-24) (aged 70)
Toronto, Ontario
Resting place Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Ontario
Nationality Canadian
Political party Conservative
Cabinet Commissioner of Crown Lands (Province of Canada) (1864–1867)
Postmaster General (1885–1887)
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (1881–1885)
Postmaster General (1880–1881)
Minister of Militia and Defence (1880)
Postmaster General (1879–1880)
Receiver General (1878–1879)
Minister of the Interior (1873)
Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (1873)
Minister of Inland Revenue (Acting) (1868–1869)
Postmaster General (1867–1873)
Signature

Sir Alexander Campbell KCMG PC QC (March 9, 1822 May 24, 1892) was an English-born, Upper Canadian statesman and politician, and a father of Canadian Confederation.[2]

Life

Born in Hedon, Yorkshire, he was brought to Canada by his father, who was a doctor, when he was one year old. He was educated in French at St. Hyacinthe in Quebec and in the grammar school at Kingston, Ontario. Campbell studied law and was called to the bar in 1843. He became a partner in John A. Macdonald's law office.[3]

He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1858 and 1864, and served as the last Commissioner of Crown Lands 30 March 1864 – 30 June 1867. He attended the Charlottetown Conference and the Quebec City Conference in 1864, and at Confederation was appointed to the Canadian Senate. He later held a number of ministerial posts in the Cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald and was the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1887 to 1892.[4]

He died in office in Toronto in 1892, and was buried at Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario.[5]

In 1883, he built his home on Metcalfe Street, Ottawa, now known as 'Campbell House'.

Campbell House, 236 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa

Campbell Crescent in Kingston, a street in the Portsmouth municipal district, is named in his honour.

Family

In 1855, Campbell married Georgina Frederica Locke, daughter of Thomas Sandwith of Beverley, Yorkshire, and a niece of Humphrey Sandwith III (1792–1874) of Bridlington.[5] He left two sons (the eldest was Charles Sandwith Campbell) and three daughters.

References

  1. "Federal Political Experience". www.parl.gc.ca. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  2. "The fathers of confederation". www.Canadahistory.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  3. "Alexander Campbell". www.canadahistory.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  4. "Campbell, Sir Alexander National Historic Person". Parks Canada. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. 1 2  Browning, Thomas Blair (1901). "Campbell, Alexander (1822-1892)". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by
office created
Leader of the Government in the Senate of Canada
1867–1873
Succeeded by
Luc Letellier de St-Just
Preceded by
Luc Letellier de St-Just
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada
1873–1878
Succeeded by
Sir Richard William Scott
Preceded by
Sir Richard William Scott
Leader of the Government in the Senate of Canada
1878–1887
Succeeded by
John Abbott
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