Isaac Benson Lucas
Encyclopedia
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...
lawyer and politician. He served as a Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
for Grey Centre from 1898 to 1919.
Lucas was born in Warwick Township
Warwick, Ontario
Warwick is a rural township in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,025.Bisected by the Egremont Road that was surveyed to link London with the Lake Huron shoreline in 1832, the township began to attract settlers including those helped by charitable organizations, such as Lord...
, Lambton County
Lambton County, Ontario
Lambton County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county is located in Southwestern Ontario. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which flows into the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is Lake...
, the son of George Lucas, who had come to Canada from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was educated in Strathroy and at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. He graduated from Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
in 1899 and entered practice in Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...
, later moving to Markdale
Markdale, Ontario
Markdale is a community in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario, Canada.Markdale was first settled in 1846 and originally called East Glenelg, after a nearby township. In 1864, it was renamed Cornabus after the Islay, Scotland hometown of then-postmaster Donald MacDuffie...
. He married Elizabeth E. Richardson, the daughter of Matthew Kendal Richardson
Matthew Kendal Richardson
Matthew Kendal Richardson was an English-born merchant and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Grey South in the Canadian House of Commons from 1900 to 1904 as a Liberal-Conservative....
. In 1908, he was named King's Counsel. He served one of the shortest terms as provincial treasurer, serving from 1913 to 1914. Lucas was Attorney General
Attorney General of Ontario
The Attorney General of Ontario is a senior member of the Executive Council of Ontario and governs the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario - the department responsible for the oversight of the justice system within the province. The Attorney General is an elected Member of Provincial...
from 1914 to 1919. During his time in office, Lucas was responsible for steering the Workmen's Compensation Act through the provincial legislature. He also served as government representative on the Hydro-Electric Commission and helped promote the development of a park in the area surrounding the Horseshoe Falls
Horseshoe Falls
The Horseshoe Falls, also known as the Canadian Falls, is part of Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River. Approximately 90% of the Niagara River, after diversions for hydropower generation, flows over Horseshoe Falls. The remaining 10% flows over the American Falls...
at Niagara.