Maurice Fenelon (1834 – January 31, 1897) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born educator, merchant and political figure in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He represented St. John's West in the

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Build ...

from 1871 to 1878. He was born in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

and came to St. John's in 1856 to teach at

Saint Bonaventure's College St. Bonaventure's College (commonly called St. Bon's) is an independent kindergarten to grade 12 Catholic School in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located in the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, adjacent to the Roman Cat ...

. He moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1867 but by 1870 had returned to St. John's and was teaching at the St John's Academy. He also opened a book store in St. John's. Fenelon married Ellen Kitchen. He was first elected to the Newfoundland assembly in an 1871 by-election as an anti-Confederate. He resigned his seat in 1878 and was named inspector for

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

schools in 1879. In 1886, he was named to the

Legislative Council of Newfoundland The Legislative Council of Newfoundland was the upper house of the General Assembly of Newfoundland from 1833 to 1934. The Legislative Council was appointed by the Governor of Newfoundland, not elected. Bills were submitted by the House of Assemb ...

and appointed to the Executive Council as colonial secretary by

Robert Thorburn Sir Robert Thorburn (March 28, 1836 – April 12, 1906) was a British-born Newfoundland merchant and politician who served as the colony's Premier from 1885 to 1889. Life Born in Scotland, Thorburn emigrated to Newfoundland in 1852 whe ...

. In 1889, he was removed from the Executive Council after a change in government and was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the assembly in 1889 and 1892. His business was destroyed in the

Great Fire of 1892 The Great Fire of 8 July 1892 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is remembered as the worst disaster ever to befall that city. Previous "Great Fires" had occurred in St. John's, during 1819 and 1846. Timeline At approximately 4:45 in th ...

. Fenelon was named to the Legislative Council in 1894 by Conservative leader Augustus Frederick Goodridge and served until his death in St. John's in 1897. Also in 1894, he was named a director for the

Commercial Bank of Newfoundland Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and ...

. His son, John J. Fenelon (1880-1934) was admitted to the bar in London, and then the Newfoundland Bar. He established a practice in St. John's and became a Bencher with the Law Society.

William Joseph Browne William Joseph Browne, (May 3, 1897 – January 10, 1989) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician. He served in the Newfoundland House of Assembly and the House of Commons of Canada. The son of Liberius Browne and Bridget O'Reilly, he ...

, Member of the Canadian Parliament, began his legal career as a law clerk to John Fenelon.

References

* Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Members of the Legislative Council of Newfoundland 1834 births 1897 deaths Politicians from County Carlow 19th-century Irish people Newfoundland Colony people Colonial Secretaries of Newfoundland Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland {{Newfoundland-politician-stub