Joseph Henry Widdifield (June 12, 1845 – June 3, 1906) was an

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

physician and political figure. He represented

York North York North was a federal riding in Ontario, Canada, that was in the House of Commons of Canada from Confederation in 1867 until 2004. The federal riding was eliminated in 2003 when it was redistributed between two new ridings of Newmarket—A ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

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 ...

member from 1875 to 1888. He was born in Whitchurch,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

in 1845, the son of Charles Ellis Widdifield, and studied medicine at Victoria College and

St Thomas's Hospital Medical School St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in London was one of the oldest and most prestigious medical schools in the UK. The school was absorbed to form part of King's College London. History It was part of one of the oldest hospitals in London, ...

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 ...

. On his return to Canada, Widdifield set up practice in Newmarket. He served as a coroner and

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Victoria County Victoria County is the name of several locations: In Australia: *Victoria County, Western Australia * County of Victoria, South Australia In Canada: * Victoria County, New Brunswick * Municipality of the County of Victoria and the eponymous histo ...

. He also served in the militia during the Fenian raids. He was whip for the provincial Liberal party from 1877 to 1883. Widdifield served as deputy Grand Master for the Masonic order in the Toronto district and also served as provincial medical examiner for the order. In 1888, he resigned his seat in the assembly to accept the position of sheriff for York County. In 1965,

Widdifield Secondary School Widdifield Secondary School (WSS) was a high school located on Ski Club Road in North Bay, Ontario. It was a member of the Near North District School Board. Overview Widdifield's motto was "Mens Quaerens in Corpore Sano," loosely meaning "an in ...

in the Widdifield District of North Bay was named after him.

External links

*
''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1887'' JA Gemmill''A Cyclopæedia of Canadian biography : being chiefly men of the time ...'' GM Rose (1886)''Commemorative biographical record of the county of York, Ontario ...'' (1907)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Widdifield, Joseph 1845 births 1906 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People of the Fenian raids People from Whitchurch-Stouffville Canadian justices of the peace Canadian coroners