- Robert Atkinson Davis
Robert Atkinson Davis (
March 9 ,1841 –January 7 ,1903 ) was a businessman andManitoba politician who served asPremier of Manitoba .Davis was born in Dudswell, in the eastern townships of
Lower Canada (nowQuebec ). As a young man, he worked in the mining fields of the US Rockies. He moved to Red River on10 May 1870 , and reportedly had a friendly meeting withLouis Riel shortly before the end of theRed River Rebellion . This meeting took place after Davis swam across the Red River to where Riel was hiding, called out to the guards in French, and the entire meeting took place in French as Davis was bilingual.Fact|date=August 2008 Davis purchased a hotel in September 1870. This investment proved very profitable, and he was soon able to open several other stores in Winnipeg.Davis assumed a significant role in Manitoba politics after the death of his first wife in 1872. He emerged as a spokesman for the province's recent
Ontario immigrants, who opposed theHudson's Bay Company 's monopoly on transportation and opposed the continued prominence of the Métis in Manitoba politics.Davis challenged HBC commissioner
Donald Alexander Smith for the Presidency of the Provincial Agricultural Association in 1872. He lost this race, but was elected to both the Protestant school board and the new Winnipeg Board of Trade in February 1873. Davis also helped create the ManitobaGrange in 1874.In April 1874, Davis won a by-election to the provincial legislature for the riding of Winnipeg & St. Johns (replacing Smith, who had resigned). He soon emerged as leading figure in the opposition, and on
July 2 ,1874 supported a non-confidence motion which brought down the government. The next day,Marc-Amable Girard was called to lead a ministry based on principles of "responsible government". Davis became theProvincial Treasurer , and sought to achieve debt elimination and "better terms" from Ottawa.The Girard government fell apart in November-December 1874 as a result of ethnic tensions. Davis, the only minister not to resign during this crisis, was called upon to form a new government. Like his predecessors, he recognized the importance of demographic balance and appointed French-Canadian
Joseph Royal as hisProvincial Secretary .Davis was re-elected for Winnipeg in Manitoba's second general election (
December 30 ,1874 ), defeating Thomas Scott (not to be confused with the Thomas Scott executed by Louis Riel's provisional government) by 198 votes to 183. His ministry won the support of the "French party", but did not attain an overall majority in parliament until Davis formed a new alliance with former ministerJohn Norquay . The Davis government was primarily opposed by the anglophone allies ofJohn Christian Schultz , who were led in parliament byOrangeman Francis Cornish. Through his alliance with Royal, Davis could count on support from the "French party" throughout his term in office.As Premier, Davis continued his policy of debt reduction (for which he attained an increased Federal subsidy), and convinced the unelected
Legislative Council to vote itself out of existence in January 1876. He supported a proposal that the planned transcontinental railway run through Winnipeg rather than Selkirk. AfterJohn A. Macdonald was re-elected as Canada'sPrime Minister in 1878, this change was accomplished.Davis resigned as Premier in 1878, and subsequently became a successful businessman in
Chicago . He argued in favour of Canada-US free trade in 1883, and spent much of the 1890s travelling on the profits of his business. He died ofBright's Disease in 1903 inPhoenix, Arizona .External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=6665 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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