Francis Baxter Leys (March 14, 1839 – September 11, 1905) was a politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He represented London in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1898 to 1901 and in 1902 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 ...

. The son of Francis Leys, a native of Scotland, he was born in

Pickering township Pickering (2021 population 99,186) is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. Beginning in the 1770s, the area was settled by primarily ethnic British colonists. An increase in population occurre ...

and was educated at the Toronto Academy. Leys spent four years in

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

; when he returned to Canada, he was named paymaster for the Western District. In 1866, he married Carrie T. Thompson. In 1872, Leys became manager of the Dominion Savings and Investment Society. He also served as a school trustee for London South. Leys was elected in 1898; later that year, charges of numerous violations of election law were brought against him but the charges were dismissed and Leys retained his seat. He resigned his seat in 1901 and was reelected in a by-election held in 1902. A

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

was built in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

( London Normal School) in 1898 thanks to the efforts of Leys and Ontario premier George William Ross. His brother John also served in the Ontario assembly.

References

External links

* 1839 births 1905 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs {{Liberal-Ontario-MPP-stub