Joseph Staples 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...

 political figure. He represented Victoria North

Victoria North

Victoria North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario...

 in 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...

 as a Conservative

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...

 member from 1872 to 1874.

He was born in Cavan, Durham County

Durham County, Ontario

Durham County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was named from the English County and city.Durham County was created in 1792. It was composed of the townships of Cartwright, Manvers, Cavan, Darlington, Clarke and Hope, and portions of what is now Peterborough County,...

, Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

. Staples was a captain in the militia. He served as reeve for Bexley Township

Bexley Township, Ontario

The Township of Bexley was a municipality located in the northern half of the former Victoria County, now the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the Canadian province of Ontario.-History:...

 and was warden for Victoria County

Victoria County, Ontario

The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, and gained independence in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolved and reformed as the city of Kawartha Lakes...

 from 1866 to 1868 and 1870 to 1872. In 1852, he married a Miss Montgomery. Staples was an unsuccessful candidate for the provincial seat in 1867. He defeated the former member, John Morison

John Morison (Canadian politician)

John Morison was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Victoria North in the 1st Canadian Parliament as a Liberal member....

, to win the federal seat in 1872. Staples died in Bexley Township at the age of 52.

His great-niece Winona Grace MacInnis also served in the House of Commons.