Ambrose Upton Gledstanes Bury, KC (August 1, 1869 – March 29, 1951) was a politician in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada, a mayor of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, and a member of the House of Commons of Canada.

Early life

Ambrose Bury was born in Downings House, County Kildare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on August 1, 1869. The son of Charles Michael Bury and Margaret (Aylmer) Bury, among his siblings, were Charles Arthur Bury, Rev. Reginald Victor Bury, Rev. Fenton Ernest Bury, and Dr. Frederick William Bury. He was educated at the Liverpool Institute, the Royal School in Raphoe, Dublin High School,

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, and the King's Inns in Dublin, from which he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1890 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in 1893. He taught theology and was the first principal of the

Irish Baptist College The Irish Baptist College (IBC) is a Baptist theological college in Moira, Craigavon, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated with the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland. It is part of the Baptist Theological Centre which is located in the ...

in 1892. He married Margaret Amy Beatrice Owen, from England, on June 16, 1897, with whom he had one son, William Bury. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1906, and practiced law in Ireland before emigrating to Edmonton in 1912. The following year, he was admitted to the

Law Society of Alberta The Law Society of Alberta (LSA) is the self-regulating body for lawyers in Alberta, Canada, established in 1907 which derives its authority from the Legal Profession Act of the Government of Alberta. Its main office is located in Calgary. As ...

. He practiced law as a partner of Ewing, Harvie & Bury (later Harvie, Bury & Yanda), and was chancellor of the Anglican

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

Athabasca Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada. Athabasca may a ...

from 1919.

Political career

Bury's first attempt at public office was running for the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sin ...

in the 1921 provincial election as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. He was defeated, finishing fourteenth of twenty-six candidates. Later that year, in the 1921 municipal election, Bury was elected to the Edmonton City Council for a two-year term as alderman, finishing fourth of nineteen candidates in a race in which the top seven candidates were elected. He was re-elected to another two-year term in the 1923 election. Towards the end of his second term on council, Bury was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a

in the riding of

Edmonton East Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

in the 1925 election. However, Parliament was dissolved amid the King-Byng Affair the following year, and Bury was narrowly defeated in the ensuing election by

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

(and incumbent mayor of Edmonton)

Kenny Blatchford Kenneth Alexander Blatchford (March 5, 1882 – April 20, 1933) was a Canadian politician who served as both mayor of Edmonton, Alberta and a member of the House of Commons of Canada. Early life Kenny Blatchford was born in Minnedosa, Manito ...

. Blatchford had taken his job, and Bury set out to take Blatchford's, running for mayor in the 1926 election. He defeated

Daniel Kennedy Knott Daniel Kennedy Knott (July 1, 1879 – November 26, 1959) was a labour activist and politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton. He had associations with the Canadian branch of the Ku Klux Klan. Early life Dan Knott was born in C ...

(who went on to become mayor himself after Bury left municipal politics), and was re-elected in

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

and

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

. He did not seek re-election in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

, anticipating a rematch against Blatchford in the next federal election. Bury defeated Blatchford by a substantial margin in the 1930 election as R. B. Bennett's Conservative government swept to power. Following Bury's election as a Member of Parliament in 1930, the K.K.K. in Edmonton celebrated his election with a cross burning. The Edmonton Journal has written more specifically that the K.K.K. "erected a flaming cross on the hill above Riverdale flats to celebrate the victory of Edmonton East candidate Ambrose Bury." Bury opted not to seek re-election in the 1935 election. He was appointed as a district court judge that year, and served in that capacity until he reached the retirement age of 75 in 1944.

Later life and death

In 1946, Bury's wife died, and Bury moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to live with his brother. He died in Ottawa March 29, 1951. His funeral was held in Edmonton, and he was buried in the Edmonton Cemetery. Bury had been an active Freemason.

References

Edmonton Public Library Biography of Ambrose BuryCity of Edmonton biography of Ambrose Bury

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bury, Ambrose 1869 births 1951 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of King's Inns People associated with the Irish Baptist College Canadian Anglicans Canadian people of Anglo-Irish descent Edmonton city councillors Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Irish barristers Irish emigrants to Canada (before 1923) Judges in Alberta Lawyers in Alberta Mayors of Edmonton Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta People from Athabasca County Politicians from County Kildare Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta candidates in Alberta provincial elections 20th-century Canadian politicians Canadian King's Counsel