Henry James Friel (15 April 1823 – 16 May 1869) was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Bytown in 1854 and then of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 1863 and 1868–1869. He was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

of Irish

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parents Charles Friel and Cecila Brennan on 15 April 1823. His family moved to Bytown, which was later renamed Ottawa, in 1827.

Political life

Friel was elected to Bytown's first town council in 1847. He was defeated the following year, but elected

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in 1850, 1853 and 1854, when he was elected mayor. He also served on the executive of the Bytown Mechanics' Institute. In 1849 when rioting broke out over a proposed visit by Governor General Elgin Bruce, Friel was among those arrested for abetting the looting of the government arsenal at Hull to supply arms to the Reform rioters. The municipality of Bytown became the new city of Ottawa in 1855. Friel was elected alderman there from 1855 to 1858 and in 1864, 1865 and 1867. In 1863, he was a member of the first Board of Police Commissioners for Ottawa. The board, with the aim of avoiding unnecessary expense, originally concluded that there was no need for a salaried police force in the city. However, in May that same year, the militia had to be called in to control a riot in the city. In 1865, a bylaw was introduced establishing an official police force. In 1868, while mayor, Friel posted a proclamation announcing a $2,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the assassin of

Thomas D'Arcy McGee Thomas D'Arcy McGee (13 April 18257 April 1868) was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, poet, and a Father of Canadian Confederation. The young McGee was an Irish Catholic who opposed British rule in Ireland, and w ...

Professional life

In 1846, he purchased the ''

Bytown Packet The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newspa ...

'', a local newspaper, with John George Bell. He sold this paper in October 1849 to Robert Bell, who renamed it the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' in 1849. In 1858, he established a new paper, the ''Ottawa Union'', also referred to as the ''Daily Union''. He later sold it to a rival paper, the ''Ottawa Times'' in 1866.

Personal life

He died in Ottawa in 1869 of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

while still in office. His funeral sermon was delivered in

Notre-Dame Cathedral (Ottawa) The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada located on 385 Sussex Drive in the Lower Town neighbourhood. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990. The basilica is the olde ...

on Wednesday, 19 May 1869 by Aeneas Mcdonell Dawson.

References

;Bibliography *

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friel, Henry 1823 births 1869 deaths Mayors of Ottawa Canadian male journalists Canadian people of Irish descent Journalists from Montreal Journalists from Ontario Politicians from Montreal Writers from Montreal Writers from Ottawa Ottawa Citizen people 19th-century Canadian journalists 19th-century Canadian male writers