Born

• 27 December 1823, Rickinghall, England
• Emigrated to Canada in 1832

Education

• Apprenticed as a printer with The Belleville Intelligencer, Belleville, Ontario 1834
• Teaching diploma from Sydney Normal School, Hastings, Ontario 1841

Personal Status

• Married 1847, Harriet Moore (1829-1884)
• Four sons, five daughters

Professional Life

• Printer, editor and later owner of The Belleville Intelligencer
• Businessman
• 1858-1865 Ensign, Belleville Rifle Company 1867-1872 Major, 49th Hastings Battalion 1870-1878 Grandmaster of Orange Order of British North America

Died

• 10 December 1917, Belleville, Ontario

Buried

• Belleville Cemetery, Belleville, Ontario

Party

• Liberal-Conservative
• 1894-1896 Party Leader

Constituencies

• 1867-1892 North Hastings, Ontario

Other Ministries

• 1867-1892 Customs
• 1892 Militia and Defence
• 1892-1894 Trade and Commerce
• 1894-1896 President of the Privy Council

Political Record

• Trade mission to Australia and promotion of submarine cable link between North America and Australia 1894
• Attempted to re-establish a seperate school system in Manitoba 1895
• Senator 1892-1917
• Leader of the Government in the Senate 1893-1896
• Leader of the Opposition in the Senate 1896-1906
• The second Prime Minister to lead the country from the Senate