Augustus William Harvey (May 31, 1839 – February 7, 1903) was an industrialist and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He served in the

Legislative Council of Newfoundland The Legislative Council of Newfoundland was the upper house of the General Assembly of Newfoundland from 1833 to 1934. The Legislative Council was appointed by the Governor of Newfoundland, not elected. Bills were submitted by the House of Assemb ...

from 1870 to 1895 and represented Harbour Grace in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. Jo ...

from 1900 to 1904 as a

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 ...

. He was born in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

and was educated at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. Harvey came to Newfoundland in 1853. In 1861, he joined Dunscombe, Harvey and Company, later known as Harvey and Company; his uncle Eugenius Harvey was part owner of the firm. When his uncle left, he became managing partner. Originally a fishery supply business, the company expanded into mining, lumber and manufacturing. He was also a partner in A. Harvey and Company and the New York, Newfoundland and Halifax Steamship Company. In 1894, he became an agent for the Dominion Coal Company of Cape Breton. Harvey established the Cabot Steam Whaling Company in 1896. In 1864, Harvey married Elizabeth Walker. In 1870, Harvey was named to the Newfoundland Legislative Council. He was opposed to union with Canada and supported the construction of a railway across the colony. He served as chairman of a committee tasked with deciding how Newfoundland should set up a fisheries commission; he later became chair of the commission. In 1889, he was named to the Newfoundland cabinet, responsible for the fisheries commission. From 1893 to 1896, he was head of the fisheries ministry. Harvey resigned from the Legislative Council and the cabinet in December 1895. This was in part due to the collapse of the Union and Commercial banks in 1894; Harvey had been a director for the Union bank as well as a major client of the bank. In 1900, he was elected to the Newfoundland assembly and he served in the cabinet as a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

. Harvey helped establish the Fishermen and Sailors' Home in 1886. He was also a member of the committee set up to help Doctor Wilfred Grenfell provide medical care in

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

. He died in St. John's at the age of 63.

References

Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Members of the Legislative Council of Newfoundland Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador 1839 births 1903 deaths British emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland Newfoundland Colony people {{Newfoundland-politician-stub