Sir Richard William Scott, PC KC (February 24, 1825 – April 23, 1913) was a Canadian politician and cabinet minister.[1]
Sir Richard William Scott | |
|---|---|
 Sir Richard William Scott | |
| 5th Mayor of Bytown | |
| In office 1852–1853 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Sparrow |
| Succeeded by | J. B. Turgeon |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario | |
| In office 1867–1874 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Daniel John O'Donoghue |
| Constituency | Ottawa |
| 2nd Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario | |
| In office December 7, 1871 – December 21, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | John Stevenson |
| Succeeded by | James Currie |
| Senator for Ottawa, Ontario | |
| In office March 13, 1874 – April 23, 1913 | |
| Appointed by | Alexander Mackenzie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 24, 1825 Prescott, Upper Canada |
| Died | April 23, 1913 (aged 88) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Ontario Liberal Party |
| Spouse | Mary Ann Heron |
| Cabinet | Provincial: Commissioner of Crown Lands Federal: Minister Without Portfolio Secretary of State of Canada Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (Acting) Minister of the Interior (Acting) |
Early life
editHe was born in Prescott, Ontario, in 1825, a descendant of a family from County Clare. A lawyer by training, Scott was admitted to the bar in 1848 and established a practice in Bytown (now Ottawa).
Political career
editScott became a member of municipal council in 1851, was mayor of Bytown in 1852, and held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1857 to 1863. With Canadian Confederation, Scott won a seat in the Ontario legislature as a Liberal representing Ottawa from 1867 to 1871. He was Speaker of the legislature briefly in December 1871 before he was appointed to the provincial cabinet as Commissioner of Crown Lands. Scott played a leading role in passing legislation ensuring the rights of separate schools in Ontario.
In November 1873, he left provincial politics when he was appointed minister without portfolio by Alexander Mackenzie in the federal Cabinet. Mackenzie had become prime minister after Sir John A. Macdonald's government had been forced to resign because of the Pacific Scandal. Scott was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Mackenzie in January 1874 and became Secretary of State for Canada and Leader of the Government in the Senate.
A supporter of temperance, he drafted the "Scott Act," which allowed any county or municipality in Canada to prohibit the retail sale of liquor by majority vote. With the defeat of the Liberal government in the 1878 election, Scott became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate until the return of the Liberals to government, under Wilfrid Laurier. Scott resumed his old Cabinet position of Secretary of State.
Scott retired from the cabinet in 1908 but remained in the Senate until his death in 1913.
He was made a knight in 1909 by King Edward VII.
Family
edit
Richard William Scott was married in Philadelphia, Pa., November 8, 1853, to Mary Heron, the daughter of John Heron and Frances, his wife. She was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland. The couple had two sons William L. Scott, Local Master in Chancery, and D Arcy Scott, Barrister, Ottawa and four daughters. Before her marriage, Mrs. Scott was a professional singer who toured in Canada and the United States as a member of "The Heron sisters." The couple lived at 274 Daly Avenue, Ottawa. She served on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Women and as a Vice-President of the Local Council.[2]
Archives
editThere is a Richard William Scott fonds at Library and Archives Canada.[3]
Electoral history
edit| 1867 Ontario general election: Ottawa | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Liberal | Richard William Scott | 810 | 68.76 | |||||
| Conservative | Henry J. Friel | 368 | 31.24 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 1,178 | 41.49 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 2,839 | |||||||
| Liberal pickup new district. | ||||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[4] | ||||||||
| 1871 Ontario general election: Ottawa | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Richard William Scott | 574 | 76.33 | +7.57 | ||||
| Conservative | G.H. Preston | 178 | 23.67 | −7.57 | ||||
| Turnout | 752 | 27.68 | −13.81 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 2,717 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +7.57 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[5] | ||||||||
| Ontario provincial by-election, January 1872: Ottawa Ministerial by-election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| Liberal | Richard William Scott | Acclaimed | ||||||
| Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[6]: 262 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005)
- ^ Morgan, Henry James, ed. (1903). Types of Canadian Women and of Women who are or have been Connected with Canada. Toronto: Williams Briggs. p. 307.
- ^ "Richard William Scott fonds, Library and Archives Canada".
- ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
External links
edit- Clarke, Brian P. (1998). "Scott, Sir Richard William". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Richard William Scott – Parliament of Canada biography
- Member's Parliamentary History at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- Sir Richard Scott, PC, KC