- Laurence Kavanagh
Laurence Kavanagh (
1764 –August 20 1830 ) was a merchant, judge and political figure inNova Scotia . He represented Cape Breton County in theNova Scotia House of Assembly from 1820 to 1830. His first name also appears as Lawrence and his surname as Cavanagh in some sources.He was born on
Cape Breton Island , probably atLouisbourg , the son of Laurence Kavanagh, an immigrant fromIreland , and Margaret Farrell. The family moved to St. Peter's in 1777, three years after his father's death at sea. With his brother James, who relocated to Halifax, Laurence took over the operation of his father's business, becoming one of the major suppliers for settlers in the region. In 1789, he married Felicité LeJeune. As the first Roman Catholic elected to the House of Assembly, his election had to be approved by the Colonial Office and confirmed by a vote of the assembly. Other Roman Catholics were then granted the right to serve in the assembly. He also served as a major in the militia, justice of the peace and as a member of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Cape Breton. Kavanagh died in office at St. Peter's in 1830.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2949 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=1289 "A History of the Island of Cape Breton", RFGS Brown (1979)]
* [http://fortress.uccb.ns.ca/search/HSMB_Kavanagh.html Lawrence Kavanagh, Louisbourg Institute ~ L'Institut de Louisbourg]
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