Joseph Alexander Gillies (September 17, 1849 – July 7, 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 ...

politician. Born in

Irish Cove, Nova Scotia Irish Cove ( Mi'kmawi'simk: ''Kul'pamkitk'') is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, spanning the border that divides Richmond County and Cape Breton County. The community is also home to a provincial picnic park. The ori ...

, the son of John Gillies and Mary McLean, Gillies was educated at

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

graduating in April 1871. He was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1875 and practised law in Sydney. He was the registrar of probate for the County of

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

from August 1872 until he resigned when he ran unsuccessfully for the riding of

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

in the 1887 federal election. He was clerk of the Peace for Cape Breton county from December 1875 until January 1880 when the county was incorporated, and then he was appointed Municipal clerk, which he held until January 1883 when he became solicitor of the municipality (Sydney). In 1883, he married Josephine Eulalie Bertrand. Gillies was named

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 1895. In 1901, he purchased the ''Sydney Post''. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

in the 1891 election but unseated upon petition and at the by-election held in January 1892 was re-elected. 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 in ...

, he was re-elected in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...

. He was defeated in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

and again in

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...

and

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

. Gillies died in Sydney at the age of 71.

Electoral record

References

''This article incorporates text from
The Canadian album: men of Canada, Vol. 3
', a publication now in the public domain.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillies, Joseph 1849 births 1921 deaths Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia St. Francis Xavier University alumni Canadian King's Counsel