John Pugh was an Irish

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...

-born merchant and politician in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada. He represented Halifax County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 as a Conservative member from 1878 to 1882.

He was born in Dublin, the son of Thomas Pugh and Ann Burns, and was educated there. Pugh went to sea at the age of 13 and was a ship's captain from 1843 to 1857. In 1850, he married Alice Saunders. Pugh served as a member of the province's Board of Works from 1864 to 1867. He served on the school board for Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1882. He died in Halifax.