Sir William Carson often called "The Great Reformer", was an important doctor and businessman in Newfoundland. Carson's primary contribution to Newfoundland was the application of modern agricultural principles.

Upon immigrating to Newfoundland in 1806 from Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, Carson set to work clearing a large patch of land near St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

. He also began calling for increased economic support from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, a more organized fishery

Fishery

Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...

 in the area and better treatment of the local natives.

Between 1820 and 1832, he led the movement in Newfoundland's struggle for representative government along with people such as Patrick Doyle

Patrick Doyle (businessman)

Patrick Doyle was born lived and died in Newfoundland. During his lifetime he was active in a number of areas involving commerce and politics. His first career was as a sea captain making voyages between St. John's and Bristol, England...

.This culminated in Carson's election to office in 1832. While in office, he was noted for helping quarantine an outbreak of cholera

Cholera

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

 in the area.

From 1838 to 1841, Carson was Speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly

Speaker of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Speaker of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador is the presiding officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.The current Speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is Ross Wiseman, who was uncontested for the role following the 2011 General...

.

The ferry M/V William Carson

MV William Carson

M/V William Carson was a CN Marine passenger/vehicle icebreaker ferry named in honour of Newfoundland colonial politician William Carson.Built by Canadian Vickers Ltd. in Montreal, Quebec, the William Carson measured 351 feet in length and displaced 8,300 tons...

was named in his honour.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online