Edward Henry Davey (January 19, 1854 – March 10, 1911) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and politician born in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He is best known, along with his brother

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

, as a builder of the city of St. John's after the

great fire of 1892 The Great Fire of 8 July 1892 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is remembered as the worst disaster ever to befall that city. Previous "Great Fires" had occurred in St. John's, during 1819 and 1846. Timeline At approximately 4:45 in the ...

. Davey was educated at the

Central School A central school was a selective secondary education school with a focus on technical and commercial skills in the English education system. It was positioned between the more academic grammar schools and the ordinary elementary schools where ...

in St. John’s and underwent an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...

with his father, also a carpenter, forming a partnership between father and son. Upon the death of his father, he went into business with his brother George and to form E.H. and G. Davey, Contractors, Builders and Ships Joiners. The company’s offices were located at 111 Bond Street with wharf and stores situated on the St. John’s waterfront. In the aftermath of the great fire of 1892, there was great demand for architects, contractors and builders. The Davey brothers were at the forefront of this massive effort and were responsible for many of the new buildings that were erected in the months following the fire such as the Church of England Orphanage, the British Hall and the restoration of the Church of England Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. By 1900, the company was very successful and Davey decided to enter politics. In the November 8, 1900, both Davey and his running mate,

Henry Gear Henry Gear was a business and politician in Newfoundland. He represented Burin in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1894 to 1897 and from 1900 to 1913. The son of George Gear, he was born in St. John's. In 1880, he took over control of ...

, won the dual district of Burin for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, led by

Robert Bond Sir Robert Bond (25 February 1857 – 16 March 1927) was the last Premier of Newfoundland Colony from 1900 to 1907 and the first prime minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1907 to 1909 after the 1907 Imperial Conference conferred d ...

. Davey spent 11 years as MHA for Burin. He was re-elected in the general election of 1904. Davey and Gear were returned to the House of Assembly in the famous tie-election of 1908. He was re-elected in the 1909 election. Davey was involved in many facets of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, serving on the

Diocesan Synod In the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the b ...

for Newfoundland, as a member of the

Vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

at the Cathedral and as a member of the Cathedral Restoration Committee. He was a long-time member of St. John’s Lodge No. 5 of the Society of United Fishermen, a

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and fraternal organization founded in Heart’s Content in 1871. Davey was also a very good

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

player and was elected president of the Avalon Cricket Club in 1891. He was also quite prominent in the Freemasons.

References

Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador

Center for Newfoundland Studies (CNS)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, Edward Henry 1854 births 1911 deaths Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

See also

References