John Bower Lewis, (March 18, 1817 – January 24, 1874) was the second
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 ...
of
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a so ...
in 1848, the first mayor of
Ottawa from 1855 to 1857, and a member of the
2nd Canadian Parliament
The 2nd Canadian Parliament was in session from March 5, 1873, until January 2, 1874. The membership was set by the 1872 federal election from July 20 to October 12, 1872, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until ...
from 1872 to 1873.
He was born in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in 1817 and came to Canada with his family in 1820. He studied law 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 ...
, was admitted to the bar in 1839, and became a
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 1867.
He was
elected to the first council for Bytown in 1847 and became mayor in 1848. After Bytown was renamed to Ottawa in 1854, he became its first mayor. He was police commissioner for the city in 1863. In 1872, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative in the two-member riding of
Ottawa City but resigned in 1873 due to the
Pacific Scandal The Pacific Scandal was a political scandal in Canada involving bribes being accepted by 150 members of the Conservative government in the attempts of private interests to influence the bidding for a national rail contract. As part of British Colu ...
.
He died in Ottawa in 1874; he was the city
solicitor and was also campaigning for reelection to the House of Commons at the time of his death.
Archives
There is a John Bower Lewis and family
fonds
In archival science, a fonds is a group of documents that share the same origin and that have occurred naturally as an outgrowth of the daily workings of an agency, individual, or organization. An example of a fonds could be the writings of a poe ...
at
Library and Archives Canada.
Archival reference number is R5348.
References
External links
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, John Bower
1817 births
1874 deaths
Mayors of Ottawa
Mayors of Bytown
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs
Franco-Ontarian people
Lawyers in Ontario
Canadian King's Counsel
Canadian people of Scottish descent
British emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario
Immigrants to Upper Canada