Andrew George Blair
Encyclopedia
Andrew George Blair, PC
, KC
(March 7, 1844 – January 25, 1907) was a Canadian
politician in New Brunswick
, Canada
.
He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
in 1878 after unsuccessful attempts in the previous two elections. Though Blair was a supporter of Sir John A. Macdonald
's federal Liberal-Conservatives
, he joined the parliamentary opposition in the legislature and, in 1879, became leader of the opposition
to the Conservative
government of Premier
John James Fraser
. He molded the disparate opposition into the modern Liberal Party of New Brunswick, instituting party platforms or manifesto
s. He launched the first province-wide political campaign in an era when campaign had been run largely on a constituency basis. He took the party to power in 1883, winning enough support in the newly-elected legislature to form a government. Blair became premier and Attorney-General.
Blair's government built a three-quarters of a mile long bridge
across the Saint John River, linking Fredericton with villages and factories, notably that of Boss Gibson
, on the other side of the river. His government also went to court to win the right to grant liquor licenses. He also extended the franchise
, which had been exclusively male, to widows and unmarried women who owned property. He was opposed, however, to universal female suffrage. His government also abolished the Legislative Council
(the legislature's Upper House
).
The Liberal government almost lost the 1889 election but was able to stay in power with the support of independent Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs). Blair lost his own seat in the 1892 election, due to Protestant opposition to his policy of accommodating Acadians and other Catholics. Blair had appointed several Acadians and other Catholics to his cabinet
and other government positions. Blair was able to re-enter the house through a by-election
.
After leading his party to a major electoral victory in 1895, Blair left provincial politics in 1896 when he was appointed minister of railways and canals in the federal Cabinet of Liberal
Prime Minister
Wilfrid Laurier
. He entered the Canadian House of Commons
in an 1896 by-election
, and was re-elected in the 1900 election
.
In 1901, Blair's daughter Bessie drowned in the Ottawa River
; Henry Harper
dove in to try to rescue her, but drowned as well.
Blair resigned from the government in July 1903 in opposition to Laurier's plan to build the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
.
In order to prevent him from becoming a major opposition figure, Laurier appointed Blair to head the Board of Railway Commissioners in December 1903, taking Blair out of active politics and out of the House of Commons. However, Blair resigned from the Board sixteen days before the 1904 election
in order to campaign against Laurier. He withdrew from the campaign, however, after discussions with Laurier.
He died on January 25, 1907 of a heart attack and was buried in the Beechwood Cemetery
in Ottawa, Ontario.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, KC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(March 7, 1844 – January 25, 1907) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is located in Fredericton. It was established de jure when the colony was created in 1784, but only came in to session in 1786 following the first elections in late 1785. Until 1891, it was the lower house in a bicameral legislature when its upper house...
in 1878 after unsuccessful attempts in the previous two elections. Though Blair was a supporter of Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
's federal Liberal-Conservatives
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
, he joined the parliamentary opposition in the legislature and, in 1879, became leader of the opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
to the Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony...
government of Premier
Premier (Canada)
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
John James Fraser
John James Fraser
John James Fraser was a New Brunswick lawyer, judge, and politician.John Fraser was born at Beaubears Island, Northumberland County, New Brunswick. He married twice, the first time in 1867 to Martha Cumming. She died in 1871 and in 1884 he married Jane M...
. He molded the disparate opposition into the modern Liberal Party of New Brunswick, instituting party platforms or manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
s. He launched the first province-wide political campaign in an era when campaign had been run largely on a constituency basis. He took the party to power in 1883, winning enough support in the newly-elected legislature to form a government. Blair became premier and Attorney-General.
Blair's government built a three-quarters of a mile long bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
across the Saint John River, linking Fredericton with villages and factories, notably that of Boss Gibson
Alexander Gibson (industrialist)
Alexander "Boss" Gibson was an industrialist in New Brunswick, Canada.He was born near Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, the son of John Gibson and Jane Neilson. In 1862, Gibson bought a sawmill and forest land in the Fredericton area...
, on the other side of the river. His government also went to court to win the right to grant liquor licenses. He also extended the franchise
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
, which had been exclusively male, to widows and unmarried women who owned property. He was opposed, however, to universal female suffrage. His government also abolished the Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
(the legislature's Upper House
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
).
The Liberal government almost lost the 1889 election but was able to stay in power with the support of independent Members of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLAs). Blair lost his own seat in the 1892 election, due to Protestant opposition to his policy of accommodating Acadians and other Catholics. Blair had appointed several Acadians and other Catholics to his cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
and other government positions. Blair was able to re-enter the house through a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
.
After leading his party to a major electoral victory in 1895, Blair left provincial politics in 1896 when he was appointed minister of railways and canals in the federal Cabinet of Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
. He entered the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in an 1896 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, and was re-elected in the 1900 election
Canadian federal election, 1900
The Canadian federal election of 1900 was held on November 7 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Canada. As a result of the election, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, was re-elected to a second majority government, defeating the...
.
In 1901, Blair's daughter Bessie drowned in the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
; Henry Harper
Henry Albert Harper
A Canadian journalist and civil servant, Henry Albert Harper was best known as a friend of future Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, and is commemorated by a statue on Parliament Hill....
dove in to try to rescue her, but drowned as well.
Blair resigned from the government in July 1903 in opposition to Laurier's plan to build the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
.
In order to prevent him from becoming a major opposition figure, Laurier appointed Blair to head the Board of Railway Commissioners in December 1903, taking Blair out of active politics and out of the House of Commons. However, Blair resigned from the Board sixteen days before the 1904 election
Canadian federal election, 1904
The Canadian federal election of 1904 was held on November 3 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Canada...
in order to campaign against Laurier. He withdrew from the campaign, however, after discussions with Laurier.
He died on January 25, 1907 of a heart attack and was buried in the Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood Cemetery is the National Cemetery of Canada. Because it is located in Ottawa, Ontario, the nation's capital, it is the burial site for a number of statesmen as well as a large number of mayors of the city. A woodland cemetery founded in 1873, it is 160 acres and is the largest cemetery...
in Ottawa, Ontario.