Francis Henry Keefer, (24 July 1860 – 4 December 1928) 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 ...

lawyer and politician.

Life

Born in Strathroy,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, the son of James Keefer and Maria Cook, studied at the Strathroy Grammar School and

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

before receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1881, a Master of Arts degree in 1882, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1882 all from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. In 1883, he moved to Prince Arthur's Landing (now

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...

) and was called to the Bar in 1884. He practiced law with his brother Thomas Alexander Keefer (c1850-1893). He was created a federal

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

in July 1896 and a provincial King's Counsel in January 1908. He first ran unsuccessfully for the Canadian House of Commons as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

candidate for the riding of

Thunder Bay and Rainy River Thunder Bay and Rainy River was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1917. It was located in the northwestern part of the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1903 from parts of Algom ...

in the 1908 federal election. He was elected for Port Arthur and Kenora as the Unionist candidate in the 1917 election and was defeated in 1921. Keefer served as Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for External Affairs from November 1918 to July 1920. Keefer also served municipally, as solicitor and counsel in Port Arthur from 1889 to 1910. At various times he acted as Crown Counsel in the Thunder Bay district. He was a persistent advocate of deep waterways on the Great Lakes, later known as the St Lawrence Seaway and was the Canadian government's watchdog on international water questions such as water levels on the Great Lakes and Lake of the Woods, and the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...

water diversion. He also did legal work for the

International Joint Commission The International Joint Commission (french: Commission mixte internationale) is a bi-national organization established by the governments of the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Its responsibilities were expa ...

. Keefer married Annie Frances Daby in 1884. After her death in 1915, Keefer married Margaret Wilhelmina Keefer (her father's surname was identical). He was elected as the

candidate to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1923 provincial election for the riding of Port Arthur and served until November 1926. He lost the Conservative nomination to the younger and more politically astute Donald McDonald Hogarth. Ontario premier G.

Howard Ferguson George Howard Ferguson, PC (June 18, 1870 – February 21, 1946) was the ninth premier of Ontario, from 1923 to 1930. He was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1905 to 1930 who represented the eastern provinci ...

appointed Keefer

Public Trustee The public trustee is an office established pursuant to national (and, if applicable, state or territory) statute, to act as a trustee, usually when a sum is required to be deposited as security by legislation, if courts remove another trustee, o ...

of Ontario in April 1928, but Keefer died in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

following a heart attack in December that year.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keefer, Francis 1860 births 1928 deaths Canadian King's Counsel Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario People from Strathroy-Caradoc Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs Unionist Party (Canada) MPs University of Toronto alumni Upper Canada College alumni