Richard Harcourt (March 17, 1849 – November 29, 1932) 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 ...
lawyer, judge, and politician. He served as a member of 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 ...
for the riding of
Monck from 1879 to 1908. He was Ontario's treasurer from 1890 to 1899.
He was born in Seneca Township,
Haldimand County
Haldimand County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Despite its name, it is no longer a county by definition, as all m ...
,
Canada West
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...
in 1849, the son of Michael Harcourt who was a member of the parliament for the Province of Canada and studied at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
. He was principal of Cayuga High School and served as inspector of schools in Haldimand County from 1871 to 1876, also studying law during that period. In 1876, he married Augusta H. Young, was called to the bar in the same year and set up practice in
Welland
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-o ...
. Harcourt served as deputy judge in
Welland County
Welland County (area, excluding cities was 226,970 acres) is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.
The county was formed in 1845 from Lincoln County. The county was named from the Welland River. The river got its name from Joh ...
in 1886. In 1890, he was named
Queen's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...
. He also served as inspector of schools for Welland and the town of
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
. He died in Welland in 1932.
References
*
''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1889'', JA Gemmill*
1849 births
1932 deaths
Canadian King's Counsel
Finance ministers of Ontario
Ontario Liberal Party MPPs
University of Toronto alumni
{{Liberal-Ontario-MPP-stub