Edwin Arnold Vail (August 19, 1817 – July 31, 1885) was a physician and political figure in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Kings County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

from 1857 to 1866, from 1870 to 1874 and from 1878 to 1885. He was born in Sussex Vale, New Brunswick, the son of John Cougle Vail and Charlotte Hannah Arnold, and studied medicine in

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and

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. He returned home and set up practice in King's County. He also served as surgeon for the local militia. In 1842, he married Frances Charlotte Cougle. Vail was an opponent of

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

. He served as Speaker for the New Brunswick assembly from 1865 to 1866, when he was defeated in a general election. Vail was reelected in 1870 and again served as speaker from 1871 to 1874. He married Harriet Courtland Murphy in 1873 after the death of his first wife. He was defeated again in 1874 but reelected in 1878. Vail served as a minister without portfolio in the Executive Council from 1883 to 1885. He was president of the New Brunswick Medical Society from 1883 to 1884. In April 1885, Vail was named to the province's Legislative Council. He died a few months later in Sussex at the age of 67. His brother

William Berrian Vail William Berrian Vail, (December 19, 1823 – April 10, 1904) was a Canadians, Canadian businessman and politician. Vail was born in Sussex Vale, New Brunswick, the son of John Cougle Vail and Charlotte Hannah Arnold. In 1850, he married Ch ...

served in the Nova Scotia assembly and the Canadian House of Commons.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vail, Edwin A 1817 births 1885 deaths Physicians from New Brunswick Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick People from Kings County, New Brunswick Members of the Legislative Council of New Brunswick Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Colony of New Brunswick people