James Colledge Pope, (June 11, 1826 – May 8, 1885) was a land proprietor and politician on

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

(PEI),

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He served as

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of the colony from 1865 to 1867, and from 1870 to 1873. He was premier of PEI in 1873 when the island joined

Canadian confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

. He was born in

Bedeque, Prince Edward Island Bedeque () is a former municipality that previously held community status in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It was dissolved through its amalgamation with the Community of Central Bedeque on November 17, 2014 to create the Commun ...

, the son of Joseph Pope and Lucy Colledge. Pope was a successful businessman who was at one point the island's third largest shipowner. He entered PEI politics in 1857 when the island was still a colony of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He was a member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, and defended the rights of landowners against growing demands by tenant farmers for land reform. Pope was named to the Executive Council in 1859, joining the Conservative government of

Edward Palmer Edward Palmer may refer to: * Edward Palmer (d.1624) (1555–1624), antiquary and projector of a university in Virginia * Edward Palmer (socialist) (1802–1886), American religious socialist * Edward Palmer (Canadian politician) (1809–1889), Pri ...

. In 1865, he became Premier after a dispute over

resulted in Palmer and

John Hamilton Gray John Hamilton Gray may refer to two 19th-century Canadian politicians: *John Hamilton Gray (Prince Edward Island politician) (1811–1887), Premier of Prince Edward Island *John Hamilton Gray (New Brunswick politician) John Hamilton Gray, (1 ...

resigning from the Executive Council. While not hostile to confederation, Pope did not agree with the terms set by the Quebec Conference. A particular problem was the unresolved land question, which pitted the demands of tenant farmers for

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

against demands by landlords for compensation. The question had led to violence, and, in 1865, Pope used soldiers to put down disturbances led by the Tenant League. The next year, his government negotiated the purchase of the large Cunard estate, which composed 15% of the island's land mass, in order to redistribute the land to over 1,000 tenants. The colony lacked the funds to purchase all the island's proprietary estates. Pope was in Britain during the London Conference (on the question of Confederation) of 1867, and persuaded delegates to agree to $800,000 being allocated by the federal treasury to buy proprietary lands on PEI so that they could be distributed to tenants. This was seen as bribery on the island, however, and divided the

Tories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

, leading to their defeat in the 1867 election at the hands of the Liberals, who were more hostile to confederation. The Tories were also hurt by their reputation as being pro-landlord: the Tenant League campaigned to defeat the Pope government. Pope returned to the premiership in 1870 leading a

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

of Conservatives and Liberals. The question of school funding and the role of

separate school In Canada, a separate school is a type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan) and statutory status in the three territories ( Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut). In these Canadi ...

s divided the province and both political parties, and caused the fall of

Robert Poore Haythorne Robert Poore Haythorne (2 December 1815 – 7 May 1891) was a Prince Edward Island politician and premier. He was born in England to a prominent family, his father having been mayor of Bristol on several occasions. Haythorne arrived in Princ ...

's Liberal government. Pope was able to form a coalition between his Tories and dissident Liberals by promising not to act on the question of schools, or confederation, before an election. The new government instead moved to commence the construction of a railway on the island in 1871. The railway proved to be a severe economic burden that almost bankrupted the island. The government lost a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

on the railway issue, and Pope, as a result, lost his governing majority in the

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, and was forced to resign in 1872. The financial crisis caused by the railway, and the ability of the Canadian government to bail the island out, was a major factor in the colony finally agreeing to seek to join

. The Liberal government of

sent a delegation to

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 ...

, Ontario in February 1873 seeking terms to admission to Canada. Ottawa agreed to take over the railway, provide funds to settle the land question, assume the colony's debts and give the new province an annual subsidy. The Liberals called an election on the proposal. Pope's Tories argued that the terms were not good enough, and that, if elected, his government would obtain more favourable conditions. Pope's party won 20 out of 30 seats in the April election, and he proceeded to Ottawa where he persuaded the Canadian government to increase the promised annual subsidy to PEI by a further $25,000. PEI entered confederation on July 1, 1873. Pope's third stint as Premier ended in September 1873 when he won a

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

in the

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. He did not run in the 1874 federal election, however, and returned to the province's House of Assembly in 1875, although he did not return to government. In 1876, he lost his seat in the provincial election which was fought on the issue of school funding and particularly separate schools. Pope's position was considered too moderate for voters who supported a secular system. The next year, he returned to the House of Commons and served as Minister of Marine and Fisheries from 1878 to 1882 in 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 i ...

government of Sir

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, James 1826 births 1885 deaths Canadian Anglicans Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Prince Edward Island Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Prince County, Prince Edward Island Premiers of Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island MLAs Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island leaders Colony of Prince Edward Island people