Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third
prime minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as suc ...
from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the
Conservative Party.
Abbott was born in what is now
Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec. He studied law at
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
and became one of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
's best-known lawyers, later returning to McGill as a professor of law and earning a
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees.
At Oxford, the degree is a high ...
degree. He was perhaps best known for his successful defence of the perpetrators of the
St. Albans Raid
The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War. It was a raid from the Province of Canada by 21 Confederate soldiers. They had recently failed in engagements with the Union Army and evaded subsequent capture in th ...
. Abbott involved himself in politics from a young age, signing the
Montreal Annexation Manifesto in 1849which he later regrettedand winning election to the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Uppe ...
in 1860. In the lead-up to
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
he was a prominent advocate for the rights of
English-speaking Quebecers
English-speaking Quebecers, also known as Anglo-Quebecers, English Quebecers, or Anglophone Quebecers (all alternately spelt Quebeckers; in French ''Anglo-Québécois'', ''Québécois Anglophone'') or simply Anglos in a Quebec context, are a ...
.
In the
1867 federal election, Abbott was elected to the new
House of Commons of Canada as a member of the
Conservative Party. A telegram leaked from his office played a key part in the
Pacific Scandal of 1873, which led to the downfall of
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 ...
's first government. Abbott 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 e ...
in 1887, in order to become
leader of the Government in the Senate. He became prime minister in June 1891 following Macdonald's death in office. He was the first native-born Canadian prime minister, both Macdonald and
Alexander Mackenzie having been born in Scotland. Abbott was 70 years old at the time, and served only until November 1892 when he retired due to ill health. He died the following year.
Early life
Abbott was born in St. Andrews,
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...
(now
Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec), to Harriet (née Bradford) and the Rev.
Joseph Abbott, an
Anglican missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
from
Little Strickland
Little Strickland is a small village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is about from Penrith and from the small town of Appleby-in-Westmorland. The village has one place of worship and a telephone box. The popula ...
, England. In 1849, Abbott married
Mary Martha Bethune (1823–1898), a relative of Dr.
Norman Bethune, a daughter of
Anglican clergyman
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and
McGill acting president
John Bethune, and a granddaughter of the
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...
minister
John Bethune. The couple had four sons and four daughters, many of whom died without descendants. Their eldest surviving son, William Abbott, married the daughter of Colonel
John Hamilton Gray, a
Father of Confederation and
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 govern ...
of
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen 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 several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
. Abbott was also the great-grandfather of
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 ...
actor
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
and the first cousin (once removed) of
Maude Abbott, one of
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 tota ...
's earliest female medical graduates and an expert on congenital heart disease.
Abbott was a
Freemason.
Military service
Although Abbott had served in the local militia “since boyhood,” in 1849 he was a signatory to the
Montreal Annexation Manifesto, calling for union of the Canadas with the United States. His recruitment of 300 men, known as the Argenteuil Rangers, during the
Trent Affair of 1861 may have been designed to atone for what he later described as the “sins of youth” and to enhance his political credentials, as much as to express his concern for his country’s safety. On March 14th, 1862, he was appointed Major in the
11th (Argenteuil Rifles) Volunteer Militia
11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables.
Name
"Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested ...
, being promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on March 21st. He served throughout the
Fenian Raids and retired from the militia as a Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the 11th Battalion, on June 22nd, 1883. Taunted by his political opponents in March 1889 for his “disloyalty” in 1849, he explained that he considered his military service, and his commission as an officer and later commanding officer of the 11th Argenteuil Battalion of militia, to be evidence that his youthful error had been forgiven.
Legal career
Abbott graduated as a
Bachelor of Civil Law
Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL, or B.C.L.; la, Baccalaureus Civilis Legis) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and C ...
from McGill College (now
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
) in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
in 1847,
and in the same year was initiated in the St. Paul's
Masonic Lodge
A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...
, No. 374, E.R., in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
. In 1867, he graduated as a
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees.
At Oxford, the degree is a high ...
(DCL). Most of his legal practice was in
corporate law; however, his most celebrated court case was the defence of at first fourteen, then upon release and recapture, four of those fourteen
Confederate agents who had
raided St. Albans, Vermont, from Canadian soil during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
. Abbott successfully argued that the Confederates were belligerents rather than criminals and therefore should not be extradited. He began lecturing in
commercial and
criminal law at
McGill in 1853, and in 1855 he became a professor and
dean of its Faculty of Law, where
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 ...
, a future prime minister of
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 tota ...
, was among his students. He continued in this position until 1880.
In 1862, he was made
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 or ...
.
Upon his retirement,
McGill named him emeritus professor, and in 1881 appointed him to its Board of Governors.
Politics
Early involvement
In 1849, he signed the
Montreal Annexation Manifesto calling for
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 tota ...
to join the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, an action which he regretted later as a youthful error. He eventually joined the
Loyal Orange Lodge of
British North America
British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...
, well known as a pro-British organization. Abbott first ran for
Canada's Legislative Assembly in 1857 in the
Argenteuil
Argenteuil () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Argenteuil is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department, the seat of the arrondissement of Argenteuil.
Argenteuil is the sec ...
district, northwest of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
.
Defeated, he challenged the election results on the grounds of voting list irregularities and was eventually awarded the seat in 1860. He served as solicitor general for
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...
(Quebec) representing the liberal administration of
John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Con ...
and
Louis Sicotte, from 1862 until 1863.
He reluctantly supported Canada's confederation, fearing the reduction of the political power of
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...
's English-speaking minority. In 1865, he converted to a conservative.
His proposal to protect the electoral borders of 12 English Quebec constituencies was eventually incorporated into the
''British North America Act, 1867''.
National politics
Abbott was elected to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
in 1867 as member for Argenteuil. He was removed from his seat by petition in 1874 following his involvement in the
Pacific Scandal. He narrowly lost the
1878 election, then won in February 1880, only to have his victory declared void because of bribery allegations. He was, however, subsequently elected in a by-election in August 1881. In 1887,
Macdonald
Macdonald, MacDonald or McDonald may refer to:
Organisations
* McDonald's, a chain of fast food restaurants
* McDonald & Co., a former investment firm
* MacDonald Motorsports, a NASCAR team
* Macdonald Realty, a Canadian real estate brokerage f ...
appointed him 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 e ...
.
He served as
Leader of the Government in the Senate from May 12, 1887 to October 30, 1893 (including his term as Prime Minister) and as
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...
in
Macdonald's cabinet. He also served two one-year terms as
mayor of Montreal
The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all ...
from 1887 to 1889.
Abbott was involved in the promotion of several railway projects, including the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...
(CPR) (of which he served as president). He worked to incorporate and arrange financing for the first CPR syndicate. As legal advisor to its main financier, Sir
Hugh Allan, Abbott was the recipient of the infamous telegram from Prime Minister Macdonald during the
1872 Canadian federal election campaign which read "I must have another ten thousand; will be the last time of calling; do not fail me; answer today." This telegram was stolen from Abbott's office and published, breaking the 1873
Pacific Scandal which brought down Macdonald's government. Abbott was subsequently a key organizer of a second syndicate which eventually completed the construction of Canada's first transcontinental railway in 1885, serving as its solicitor from 1880 to 1887 and as a director from 1885 to 1891.
Prime minister
When Prime Minister Macdonald died in office, Abbott supported
John Thompson John Thompson may refer to:
Academics
* J. A. Thompson (1913–2002), Australian biblical scholar
* John D. Thompson (1917–1992), nurse and professor at the Yale School of Public Health
* John G. Thompson (born 1932), American mathematician
* ...
to succeed him, but reluctantly accepted the plea of the divided
Conservative party that he should lead the government, though he considered himself a
caretaker prime minister for his seventeen months in office. He was one of just two Canadian Prime Ministers, the other being
Mackenzie Bowell, to have held the office while serving in the Senate rather than the House of Commons.
Soon after Abbott assumed office in 1891, Canada was plunged into an economic recession; later that same year he faced another challenge as the McGreevy-Langevin scandal came to light, revealing that
Hector-Louis Langevin
Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, (August 25, 1826 – June 11, 1906) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and one of the Fathers of Confederation.
Early life and education
Langevin was born in Quebec City in 1826. He studied law and was called to ...
, former Minister of Public Works in the Conservative government, had conspired with contractor
Thomas McGreevy
Thomas McGreevy (July 29, 1825 – January 2, 1897) was a Canadian politician and contractor.
Born in Quebec, he was the son of Robert McGreevy, a blacksmith, and Rose Smith. In 1867 he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Quebec West ...
to defraud the government.
Despite the political toll on his party, Abbott dealt with the backlog of government business awaiting him after Macdonald's death, including reform of the civil service and revisions of the criminal code. He attempted in 1892 to negotiate a new treaty of reciprocity with the United States, but failed to reach an agreement.
During his term, there were 52 by-elections, 42 of which were won by the Conservatives, increasing their majority by 13 seats—evidence of Abbott's effectiveness as prime minister. One year into his time as prime minister, Abbott attempted to turn the office over to Thompson, but this was rejected due to anti-
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
sentiment in the Tory caucus.
Later life
Suffering from the early stages of cancer of the brain, Abbott's health failed in 1892 and he retired to private life, whereupon
Sir John Thompson
Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (November 10, 1845 – December 12, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Canada from 1892 until his death. He had previously been fifth premier of Nova Sco ...
finally became Prime Minister. Abbott died less than a year later at the age of 72.
Sir John Abbott is buried in the
Mount Royal Cemetery
Opened in 1852, Mount Royal Cemetery is a terraced cemetery on the north slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Outremont in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Temple Emanu-El Cemetery, a Reform Judaism burial ground, is within the Mount Royal grounds. T ...
,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
.
Legacy
John Abbott College in
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an on-island suburb located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703. The ol ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
, near Abbott's country estate (Boisbriant), is named after him.
He was named a
Person of National Historic Significance
Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the re ...
by the
Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...
in 1938.
His "most memorable" political comment is "I hate politics."
The full quote was "I hate politics and what are considered their appropriate measures. I hate notoriety, public meetings, public speeches, caucuses and everything that I know of which is apparently the necessary incident of politics—except doing public work to the best of my ability."
In their 1999 look at the
Canadian prime ministers through
Jean Chrétien,
J.L. Granatstein and
Norman Hillmer
George Norman Hillmer (born 1942) is a Canadian historian and is among the leading scholars on Canada–US relations.
Hillmer completed his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in history at the University of Toronto in 1966 and 1967, r ...
included a survey of Canadian historians ranking the prime ministers. Abbott's term of service was considered below par and was ranked #17 out of 20 (up to then). When the survey was repeated in 2016, Abbott was ranked 7th out of ten "short-term" Prime Ministers with a score of 1.8 out of 5.
See also
*
List of Montreal mayors
*
List of prime ministers of Canada
*
List of notable Freemasons
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Sir John Abbott fondsat
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is t ...
Photograph: Hon. John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, 1863– McCord Museum
Photograph: Mayor John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, 1889– McCord Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, John
Prime Ministers of Canada
Leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)
Mayors of Montreal
Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec
Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Lawyers in Quebec
Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Canadian King's Counsel
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1821 births
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Anglophone Quebec people
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
Deaths from brain cancer in Canada
McGill University Faculty of Law alumni
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People from Laurentides
Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery