John Hamilton Gray (politician, 1811)

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John Hamilton Gray

John Hamilton Gray (born June 14, 1811 in Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island , † August 13, 1887 there ) was a Canadian politician and officer . From 1863 to 1864 he was Prime Minister of what was then the colony of Prince Edward Island. As one of the fathers of the Confederation , he was one of the pioneers of the Canadian state founded in 1867.

biography

Gray's father immigrated to Virginia from Scotland and fought on the side of the British during the American Revolutionary War . With numerous other loyalists , he fled northwards after the war and settled in the colony of Prince Edward Island, where he held numerous offices. He sent his son to England in the mid-1820s to get a higher education there. In 1831, Gray joined the British Army and served in a Dragoons regiment for two decades . Among other things, he was stationed in India and South Africa .

In 1852, now with the rank of colonel , Gray returned to Prince Edward Island. In 1854 he was appointed to the upper house of the colony, but a short time later he resigned from office to take part in the Crimean War. In 1858 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as a candidate for the Prince Edward Island Conservative Party , and two years later he took over the party chairmanship. He wanted a land reform that would give the tenants more rights. The British Parliament rejected it.

From March 1863, Gray served as prime minister of the colony. In September 1864 he chaired the Charlottetown Conference , which laid the foundations for the unification of the colonies in British North America . A month later he also took part in the Québec conference . Due to internal party disputes and the serious illness of his wife, Gray resigned from all political offices in December 1864. Instead, he took command of the colony's militia forces.

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personal data
SURNAME Gray, John Hamilton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician and officer, Prime Minister of Prince Edward Island
DATE OF BIRTH June 14, 1811
PLACE OF BIRTH Charlottetown
DATE OF DEATH August 13, 1887
Place of death Charlottetown