John Mercer Johnson
John Mercer Johnson (October 1818 in Liverpool , Great Britain , † November 9, 1868 in Chatham , New Brunswick ) was a Canadian politician . As one of the fathers of the Confederation , he was one of the pioneers of the Canadian state founded in 1867. After serving in the New Brunswick government, he served in the House of Commons from 1867 until his death .
biography
Johnson's father of the same name emigrated to New Brunswick in 1818, where he worked as a dealer and auctioneer. In 1821 the rest of the family also moved there. After finishing school, Johnson studied law and received 1838 admission as a lawyer . He was a member of several charitable institutions and held various positions at the local level, including Peter Mitchell among his law firm partners . In July 1850 Johnson was elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, where he stood up for full self-government of the colony on the Liberal side . In Charles Fisher's government he was Minister of Justice from November 1854 to May 1856, and from June 1857 to November 1858 Minister of Post. Samuel Leonard Tilley also appointed Johnson to the government in 1862 as Attorney General .
In September and October 1864 Johnson took part as a delegate at the Charlottetown Conference and the Québec Conference , where the formation of a Canadian state was negotiated. In the face of fierce opposition from the Anti-Confederation Party , Johnson and many of his fellow campaigners lost their parliamentary seats in February 1865. But after just a year, the supporters of the Canadian Confederation came back to power. He then attended the London Conference in December 1866 to clarify the final details of the merger. Johnson ran in September 1867 as a candidate for the Liberal Party in Canada's first general election and won the Northumberland constituency. He passed away a little over a year later.
Web links
- John Mercer Johnson . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
- John Mercer Johnson - biographical information on the website of the Canadian Parliament (English)
- Short biography from Library and Archives Canada
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnson, John Mercer |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 1818 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liverpool , UK |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 9, 1868 |
| Place of death | Chatham , New Brunswick |