Edward Palmer (Canadian politician)

Edward Palmer, QC ( born September 1, 1809 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Iceland, † November 3, 1889 ) was a Canadian politician and judge. From 1859 to 1863 he was the prime minister of the British colony of Prince Edward Iceland. He is considered one of the fathers of confederation and thus as a pioneer of the Canadian federal government established in 1867, though he had spoken out against the merger.

Biography

Edward Palmer was the son of James Bardin Palmer, one originating from Ireland lawyer and politician. After primary education, he worked as a clerk in the office of his father. In 1830 he was admitted as a lawyer ( law schools at that time did not exist ). Like his father before him, he also worked as an estate manager, on behalf of non-residents on the island landowners. He earned himself considerable land until he sold it in 1870 after years of disputes with its leaseholders.

1835 Palmer was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Iceland and established itself within a few years as one of the leading conservatives. He was regarded as a staunch preserver of the then political and social conditions. In particular, he rejected the introduction of self-government, the union of the colonies in British North America, universal suffrage and land reform. From 1842 to 1847 Palmer was a member of the appointed by the British Government Executive Board. From 1848 he was Minister of Justice, gave this office but three years later, when self-management was introduced and yet the liberal reformers to George Coles came to power.

From 1849 led Palmer to the conservative parliamentary group. Frequently he had verbal confrontations with Coles and Edward Whelan; In 1851 he was against former from a duel, which was bloodless. 1853 won the Conservatives the election. The upper house MP John Holl formed the government and appointed Palmer to the Attorney General. But after almost a year ranked Lieutenant Governor Alexander Bannerman new elections, which ended in victory for the Liberals. 1859 Palmer led the Conservatives to a landslide election victory and took over the premiership. A week after the elections of 1863 broke out a government crisis and John Hamilton Gray became the new head of government, while the deposed Palmer as Attorney General for the time being remained in the government.

Unlike Gray Palmer was decided against the proposed Canadian Confederation. Although he was present at the 1864 Charlottetown Conference and the Quebec Conference, but he made his obstructionism that Prince Edward Iceland three years later but ultimately did not join the new Canadian state. Under James Colledge Pope, who remained from 1865 to 1867 Palmer continues to Attorney General. In 1869 he declined the offer of Canada " better conditions " from, instead he advocated a free trade agreement with the United States.

In April 1872 Palmer stepped over to the Liberals, as the new prime minister Robert Haythorne as decisively rejected the Confederacy. When the construction of the Prince Edward Iceland Railway colony almost drove into financial ruin, the government had no choice but to accept the conditions of accession and on 1 July 1873 be a Canadian province. Thus ended also Palmers political career. Canadian Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie in 1874 appointed him as Chairman of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Iceland. This office he held until his death.