- George Airey Kirkpatrick
Sir George Airey Kirkpatrick, PC , KCMG , QC (
September 13 ,1841 –December 13 ,1899 ) was a politician fromOntario ,Canada .Born in 1841 in
Kingston, Ontario , the son ofThomas Kirkpatrick , George Kirkpatrick was educated at Trinity College,Dublin . He was called to the bar in 1865 and served as a ConservativeMember of Parliament (MP) in theCanadian House of Commons from 1870 to 1892 taking over the Frontenac seat held by his late father.He was a supporter of Sir
John A. Macdonald 'sNational Policy but was also a friend of Liberal leaderEdward Blake whom he supported on issues such asproportional representation . Kirkpatrick considered joining the Liberal Party over thePacific Scandal but decided to remain with the Conservatives.In 1875, Kirkpatrick contested the Governor General's right to pardon
Louis Riel without the consent of theCanadian Cabinet . As a result of his arguments, theColonial Office issued new instructions that future Governors General not act without the advice of his ministers in such matters.Kirkpatrick also argued in favour of protection of sailors from ship-owners who went bankrupt.
Following the 1882 election, Prime Minister Macdonald nominated Kirkpatrick as
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons . He was unenthusiastic about the position, but was nevertheless considered to be the most impartial Canadian Speaker of the nineteenth century. The Conservative government was unimpressed with his lack of partisanship, and he was not renominated for the position following the 1887 election. He returned to the backbenches where he remained until 1892 when he was appointedLieutenant Governor of Ontario by SirJohn Abbott .During his time in office, Kirkpatrick made a special effort to visit and support the rural areas of the province. He served until 1896, and was
knight ed the same year. SirMackenzie Bowell offered Kirkpatrick a position in the Cabinet, but by this time, he had lost interest in politics. He died inToronto in 1899.In 1865, Kirkpatrick married
Frances Macauley , and after her death, marriedIsabel Macpherson in 1883.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=6201 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=2524&s=M Biography of experience from the Library of Parliament]
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