Search for "New France"

Frances Elizabeth Owen “Feo” Monck, author (born 1 August 1835 in Charleville, Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland; died 31 July 1919). Feo Monck’s brother-in-law was governor general Viscount Monck, and her husband, Richard Monck, was military secretary to the governor general from 1864 to 1869. When Lady Monck was absent, she acted as the hostess for viceregal social occasions, including the ball held during the Quebec Conference of 1864. She recorded her experiences in the book, My Canadian Leaves: An Account of a Visit to Canada in 1864–1865.

Barnabas Bidwell, lawyer, teacher, politician (b at Monterey, Mass 23 Aug 1763; d at Kingston, Upper Canada 27 July 1833), and his son, Marshall Spring Bidwell, lawyer, politician (b at Stockbridge, Mass 16 Feb 1799; d at New York C, 24 Oct 1872).

John Robson, journalist, politician, premier of BC 1889-92 (b at Perth, UC 14 or 15 Mar 1824; d at London, Eng 29 June 1892). Coming to BC in 1859, Robson established the New Westminster British Columbian in 1861. In 1869 he

​James Michael “Jim” Flaherty, lawyer, provincial and federal politician and cabinet minister (born 30 December 1949 in Lachine, QC; died 10 April 2014 in Ottawa, ON).

As Duplessis cast a giant shadow over Québec, Houde did the same in Montréal, serving as mayor 1928-32 and 1934-36; he was then re-elected in 1938.

David Vivian Currie, VC, auto mechanic, welder, soldier, House of Commons sergeant-at-arms (born 8 July 1912 in Sutherland, SK; died 24 June 1986 in Ottawa, ON). During the Second World War, Major Currie was the only member of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps to be awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for bravery among troops of the British Empire.

Harlan Carey Brewster, politician, premier of British Columbia 1916-18 (b at Harvey, NB 10 Nov 1870; d at Calgary 1 Mar 1918). Educated in New Brunswick and Boston, Massachusetts, and qualified as a printer and deep-sea navigator, Brewster moved to BC about 1893.

Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, jurist, politician, premier of NB 1867-70 (b at Fredericton 16 Aug 1820; d there 7 Mar 1892). Born into a distinguished Loyalist family, Wetmore's father, George Ludlow Wetmore, was the last New Brunswicker killed in a formal duel (20 Oct 1821).

Masumi Mitsui, MM, farmer, soldier, Canadian Legion official (born 7 October 1887 in Tokyo, Japan; died 22 April 1987 in Hamilton, ON). Masumi Mitsui immigrated to Canada in 1908 and served with distinction in the First World War. In 1931, he and his comrades persuaded the BC government to grant Japanese Canadian veterans the right to vote, a breakthrough for Japanese and other disenfranchised Canadians. Nevertheless, Matsui and more than 22,000 Japanese Canadians were displaced, detained and dispossessed by the federal government during the Second World War (see Internment of Japanese Canadians).

Arthur Thomas Bushby. Amateur musician, civil servant, b London 2 Mar 1835, d New Westminster, BC, 18 May 1875. Bushby's 1856 diary shows that he played violin and sang in musical societies in London. He spent the summer of 1856 in Italy, studying voice, piano, and Italian.

John James Fraser, lawyer, premier (1878-82) and lieutenant-governor (1893-96) of New Brunswick (b at Miramichi, NB 1 Aug 1829; d in Italy 24 Nov 1896). An outstanding lawyer, in 1865 Fraser won a seat in the provincial legislature as an anti-Confederation candidate.

John Thomas Peters Humphrey, OC, lawyer, diplomat, scholar (born 30 April 1905 in Hampton, NB; died 14 Mar 1995 in Montreal, QC). John Humphrey was the director of the United Nations Human Rights Division from 1946 to 1966. He was instrumental in drafting the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. He also taught law and briefly served as dean at McGill University. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974 and received the United Nations Prize for human rights advocacy in 1988.

John Frederick Hamm, premier of Nova Scotia 1999-2006, physician, politician, (born 8 April 1938 in New Glasgow, NS). After a career as a family physician, Hamm moved into provincial politics in 1993 and became premier in 1999 — the first premier in 40 years to balance the province’s budget.

Joseph-Adélard Godbout, agronomist, professor, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party and premier of Québec (born 24 September 1892 in Saint-Éloi, Québec; died 18 September 1956 in Montréal, Québec).

James Mitchell, lawyer, politician, premier of New Brunswick (b at Scotch Settlement, York County, NB 16 Mar 1843; d at St Stephen, NB 15 Dec 1897). Mitchell was a prominent lawyer in St Stephen and during the early years of his career was also inspector of schools for Charlotte County.

Andrew George Blair, lawyer, politician, premier of NB (b at Fredericton NB 7 Mar 1844; d there 25 Jan 1907). First elected MLA for York in 1878, he became leader of the Opposition in 1879, premier and attorney general in 1883, and molded his coalition into the New Brunswick Liberal Party.

Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada 2017–present, MPP, lawyer (born 2 January 1979 in Scarborough, ON). Singh is the first racialized leader of a major national political party in Canada. He was also the first turban-wearing Sikh elected to the Ontario legislature.