Lewis Morris Wilkins (May 24, 1801 – March 15, 1885) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) 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. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He represented Windsor Township from 1833 to 1838 and from 1852 to 1856 and Hants County from 1843 to 1847 in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

. Born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, (the son of Lewis Morris Wilkins and Sarah Creighton, the sister of Lewis Morris) and brother Martin Isaac), Wilkins was educated in

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Highway 101. The community has a history dating back to its use by the Mi'kmaq Nation for sev ...

at King's Collegiate School and King's College. He was admitted to the bar in 1823 and set up practice in Windsor. Wilkins married Sarah Rachel Thomas in 1828. In 1838, he was named to the

Legislative Council of Nova Scotia The Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was the upper house of the legislature of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It existed from 1838 to May 31, 1928. From the establishment of responsible government in 1848, members were appointed by th ...

, serving until 1843. Although Wilkins ran as a reformer in 1843, in the assembly he opposed responsible government. He served as a minister without portfolio in the Nova Scotia Executive Council in 1846. Wilkins was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1847. Elected as a Conservative in 1852, he switched his alliance to

Joseph Howe Joseph Howe (December 13, 1804 – June 1, 1873) was a Nova Scotian journalist, politician, public servant, and poet. Howe is often ranked as one of Nova Scotia's most admired politicians and his considerable skills as a journalist and writer ha ...

and the Liberals in 1854. He was named to the Executive Council as provincial secretary in 1854. In 1856, Wilkins was named a puisne judge in the

Supreme Court of Nova Scotia The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addit ...

, serving on the bench until 1876. He died in Windsor at the age of 84.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Lewis Morris 1801 births 1885 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Colony of Nova Scotia judges