Fathers of Confederation

A Canadian 3 cent stamp from 1917 based on Robert Harris's 1884 painting "Fathers of Confederation".

The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown (23 attendees) and Quebec (33) Conferences in 1864 and the London Conference of 1866 (16) in England, preceding Canadian Confederation. The following lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at each stage.[1][2]

Queen Victoria has been called the "Mother of Confederation."[3] Her role in Confederation is recognized by the celebration of Victoria Day in Canada.

Four other individuals have been labelled as Fathers of Confederation. Hewitt Bernard, who was the recording secretary at the Charlottetown Conference, is considered by some to be a Father of Confederation.[4] The leaders most responsible for bringing three specific provinces into Confederation after 1867 are also referred to as Fathers of Confederation.[1] The provisional government established by Louis Riel ultimately negotiated the terms under which Manitoba entered the Canadian Confederation in 1870.[5] The leadership of Amor De Cosmos was instrumental both in bringing democracy to British Columbia and in bringing the province into Confederation in 1871.[6] The province of Newfoundland entered the Canadian Confederation in 1949 under the leadership of Joey Smallwood, who was then referred to as the "only living Father of Confederation".[7]

Table of participation

Participant[2] Portrait Province (Current) Charlottetown Quebec City London
Sir Adams George Archibald
Nova Scotia
George Brown
Ontario
Sir Alexander Campbell
Ontario
Sir Frederick Carter
Newfoundland and Labrador
Sir George-Étienne Cartier
Quebec
Edward Barron Chandler
New Brunswick
Jean-Charles Chapais
Quebec
James Cockburn
Ontario
George Coles
Prince Edward Island
Robert B. Dickey
Nova Scotia
Charles Fisher
New Brunswick
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
Quebec
John Hamilton Gray
Prince Edward Island
John Hamilton Gray
New Brunswick
Thomas Heath Haviland
Prince Edward Island
William Alexander Henry
Nova Scotia
Sir William Pearce Howland
Ontario
John Mercer Johnson
New Brunswick
Sir Hector-Louis Langevin
Quebec
Andrew Archibald Macdonald
Prince Edward Island
Sir John A. Macdonald
Ontario
Jonathan McCully
Nova Scotia
William McDougall
Ontario
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
Quebec
Peter Mitchell
New Brunswick
Sir Oliver Mowat
Ontario
Edward Palmer
Prince Edward Island
William Henry Pope
Prince Edward Island
John William Ritchie
Nova Scotia
Sir Ambrose Shea
Newfoundland and Labrador
William H. Steeves
New Brunswick
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché
Quebec
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
New Brunswick
Sir Charles Tupper
Nova Scotia
Edward Whelan
Prince Edward Island
Robert Duncan Wilmot
New Brunswick

Historic photographs

Delegates from the Legislatures of Canada, gathering on the steps of Prince Edward Island's Government House for the Charlottetown Conference - Photo by George P. Roberts on September 11, 1864. 
Delegates of the Legislatures of Canada gathering at the Quebec Conference - Photo by Jules I. Livernois on October 27, 1864. 

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Fathers of Confederation". CanadianHistory. 2008. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  2. 1 2 Bélanger, Claude (2001). "Studies on the Canadian Constitution and Canadian Federalism". Department of History, Marianopolis College. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  3. Bousfield, Arthur; Toffoli, Garry (1991). Royal Observations. Toronto: Dundurn Press Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 1-55002-076-5. Retrieved September 14, 2010. The Queen's role in promoting Canadian unity truly made her the "Mother of Confederation" and at her death Victoria Day, that uniquely Canadian holiday, was created as a memorial day...
  4. Harrison, Robert A (2003). The conventional man. Canadian Legal History by University of Toronto Press. p. 627. ISBN 0-8020-8842-2. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  5. The Heritage Centre. "Louis Riel The Provisional Government". Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  6. Frances, Stanford (2002). Canada's Confederation. S&S Learning Materials. p. 44. ISBN 1-55035-708-5. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  7. Argyle, Ray (2012). Joey Smallwood, Schemer and Dreamer. Dundurn Press. ISBN 9781459703698.

Further reading

External links

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