Stanislaus Francis Perry

Stanislaus Francis Perry (May 7, 1823 – February 24, 1898) was a Canadian farmer and politician in Prince Edward Island.

The Hon. Stanislaus Francis Perry
MP for West Prince
In office April 27, 1897 – February 24, 1898
Preceded by	James Colledge Pope
Succeeded by	Edward Hackett
MP for Prince County
In office January 22, 1874 – September 17, 1878
Preceded by	James Colledge Pope
Succeeded by	Edward Hackett
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for 1st Prince
In office 1854–1875
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Francis Gallant
In office 1879–1887
Preceded by	Nicholas Conroy
Succeeded by	Vacant
Personal details
Born	(1823-05-07)May 7, 1823 Tignish, Prince Edward Island
Died	February 24, 1898(1898-02-24) (aged 74) Ottawa, Ontario
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Margaret Carroll ​ (m. 1847)​
Children	10
Occupation	Farmer
Profession	Politician

Early life

He was born Stanislas-François Poirier in Tignish, Prince Edward Island, the son of Pierre Poirier and Marie-Blanche Gaudet. Poirier was educated in Tignish and then was educated in English at St. Andrew's College in Charlottetown. On his return to Tignish in 1843, he taught school. Poirier anglicized his name around this time. In 1847, he married Margaret Carroll. He was named a justice of the peace in 1851.

Political career

In 1854, Perry left teaching, began farming to support his family and entered politics. As an Acadian, he supported the redistribution of land on the island from the landowners to the tenant farmers. In 1870, he supported a coalition conservative government because it supported grants to Catholic schools. Perry was speaker in the provincial assembly from 1873 to 1874. Perry was initially opposed to Confederation but ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons in 1873 before being elected in 1874. He was also an unsuccessful federal candidate in 1878 and 1882. He was defeated in 1896 but won the subsequent by-election after the first election was declared invalid. Perry was a proponent of a tunnel to link the island to the mainland.

He represented 1st Prince in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1854 to 1875 and from 1879 to 1887 and, in the House of Commons of Canada, represented Prince County from 1874 to 1878 and from 1887 to 1896 and West Prince from 1897 to 1898 as a Liberal member. Perry (Poirier) was the first Acadian to serve in both the provincial assembly and the House of Commons.

Perry helped organize the first and second Acadian national conventions in Memramcook, New Brunswick (1881) and Miscouche, Prince Edward Island (1884) although he boycotted the second event because he wanted the event to be held in Tignish.

Death

He died in office in Ottawa in 1898 and was buried in Tignish.

Personal life

He was the grandfather of Nova Scotia Premier Angus Lewis Macdonald and is a direct ancestor of current PEI MLA Hal Perry.

Electoral record

1874 Canadian federal election: Prince County
Party	Candidate	Votes	Elected
	Liberal	James Yeo	2,188		X
	Liberal	Stanislaus Francis Perry	1,804		X
	Unknown	John Ramsay	669
	Unknown	F. McNeill	337

1878 Canadian federal election: Prince County
Party	Candidate	Votes	Elected
	Liberal	James Yeo	1,716		X
	Liberal–Conservative	Edward Hackett	1,655		X
	Unknown	C. Howatt	1,605
	Liberal	Stanislaus Francis Perry	1,491

1882 Canadian federal election: Prince County
Party	Candidate	Votes	Elected
	Liberal	James Yeo	2,388		X
	Liberal–Conservative	Edward Hackett	2,325		X
	Liberal	Stanislaus Francis Perry	2,178
	Unknown	D. Rogers	2,134

1887 Canadian federal election: Prince County
Party	Candidate	Votes	Elected
	Liberal	James Yeo	3,184		X
	Liberal	Stanislaus Francis Perry	2,988		X
	Liberal–Conservative	Edward Hackett	2,763
	Conservative	John Lefurgey	2,600

1891 Canadian federal election: Prince County
Party	Candidate	Votes	Elected
	Liberal	John Yeo	3,279		X
	Liberal	Stanislaus Francis Perry	3,182		X
	Conservative	George William Howlan	2,903
	Conservative	Richard Hunt	2,661

External links

• "Stanislaus Francis Perry". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
• Stanislaus Francis Perry – Parliament of Canada biography
• Standardbearers of Acadian Identity, McCord Museum