Joseph Leonard O'Brien (November 10, 1895 – June 18, 1973) 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 and businessman. Born in South Nelson,

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 ...

, he was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

from 1925 to 1930 and was Speaker of the Assembly. By profession he was a lumber merchant, operating a small sawmill in South Nelson. In

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

. A member of the National Government, he was defeated in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

. In 1958, he was appointed the 21st

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the viceregal representative in New Brunswick of the , who operates distinctly wit ...

and served until 1965. He purchased

Beaubears Island Beaubears Island (french: Île Boishébert) is an island at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Miramichi, New Brunswick. The island is most famous for being the site of an Acadian refugee camp during th ...

, New Brunswick in 1920 for the sum of $1.00. A monument stands in the national park on the island in his honour. His remains rest at Malcolm Cemetery of St. Patrick's Church located in Nelson-Miramichi, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Joseph Leonard 1895 births 1973 deaths Businesspeople from New Brunswick Canadian businesspeople in timber Lieutenant Governors of New Brunswick Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from New Brunswick Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick People from Miramichi, New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick MLAs