James Domville (November 29, 1842 – July 30, 1921) 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 ...

businessman, militia officer and politician.

Biography

Domville was the son of a British major-general, also named James Domville. In 1858 James, Jr., went to

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

, where his father commanded a regiment. He was educated at the Royal Military Academy and rose to the rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in the

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, commanding the 8th Princess Louise New Brunswick Hussars Cavalry Regiment. Domville was involved in a great number of business interests. He imported tea and other goods from the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...

. He was invested in iron works, rolling mills, and nail factories. Domville was also a member of the board of Globe Mutual Life Assurance and of Stadacona Fire and Life Insurance, and director and president of Maritime Bank of the Dominion of Canada. He was a member of the council of the Dominion Artillery Association, a fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute,

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 ...

, was president of the Kings County

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

, and was chairman of the delegation from Saint John, at the Dominion Board of Trade,

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 1871. Domville represented King's in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

from 1872 to 1882 as a

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 ...

. Domville came to disagree with his party's protectionist policies – a matter which led to a physical confrontation with caucus-mate

Arthur Hill Gillmor Arthur Hill Gillmor (March 12, 1824 – April 13, 1903) was a Canadian farmer, lumberman and Liberal politician from New Brunswick. He was the son of Daniel and Purmelia Gillmor, both native of New Brunswick. He was educated at the St. Andre ...

. These policies were unpopular enough with his constituents that he lost his seat in 1882, leading to his split with the Conservative Party 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 ...

. He would run several times unsuccessfully as an independent candidate, but when he returned to parliament from 1896 to 1900 it was 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 ...

. Domville was also a Saint John city

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 ...

for a time, during which he was instrumental in the establishment of the city's public library. In 1903 he was appointed to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...

, where he served until his death.

Electoral record

By-election: On election being declared void By-election: On Mr. Foster's acceptance of the office of Minister of Marine and Fisheries

Notes

References

* * Peter J. Mitham
James Domville
in ''Canadian Dictionary of Biography online'', 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Domville, James 1842 births 1921 deaths Canadian Militia officers 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) officers Canadian senators from New Brunswick Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from New Brunswick English emigrants to Canada