David Christie, (October 1, 1818 – 14 December 1880) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, he came to Canada with his family in 1833. In 1852, he was elected to the 4th Parliament of the Province of Canada. He was re-elected to the 5th Parliament of the Province of Canada and

6th Parliament of the Province of Canada The 6th Parliament of the Province of Canada was in session from 1858 to June 1861. Elections for the Legislative Assembly were held in the Province of Canada in December 1857. Sessions were held in Toronto in 1858 and then in Quebec City from 1859 ...

. David Christie was in frequent contact with

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...

who published The Globe newspaper. In the fall of 1849, David Christie was a founding member of the

Clear Grit Clear Grits were reformers in the Canada West district of the Province of United Canada, a British colony that is now the Province of Ontario, Canada. Their name is said to have been given by David Christie, who said that only those were wanted ...

movement. Along with other

supporters, Christie argued for a Canadian brand of republicanism that included the election of a deep number of government representatives. David Christie also coined the term

according to Charles Dent, who traces the term to a discussion between Christie and

where Christie criticised any Reformer who would hang back like Brown, declaring "We want only men who are Clear Grit". In 1858, he was elected to the

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as ...

. In 1867, he was summoned to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

representing the senatorial division of Erie, Ontario. 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 ...

the Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

David Christie served until his death in 1880. From 1873 to 1874, he was the

Secretary of State of Canada The Secretary of State for Canada, established in 1867 with a corresponding department, was a Canadian Cabinet position that served as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London. Sco ...

. From 1874 to 1878, he was the

Speaker of the Senate of Canada The speaker of the Senate of Canada (french: président du Sénat du Canada) is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentar ...

. He died in

Paris, Ontario Paris (2021 population, 14,956) is a community located in the County of Brant, Ontario, Canada. It lies just northwest from the city of Brantford at the spot where the Nith River empties into the Grand River. Paris was voted "the Prettiest Littl ...

in 1880 of complications arising from

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, David 1818 births 1880 deaths Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Edinburgh Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Speakers of the Senate of Canada Immigrants to Upper Canada

See also

References