Robert John Kent (1835 – September 29, 1893) 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 lawyer and politician 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 East St. John's East (french: St. John's-Est; formerly known as St. John's North) is a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1949. It covers a part of St ...

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 1873 to 1886. He was born in

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, the son of James Kent and Mary Carigan. He came to Newfoundland in 1856, working as a clerk for his uncle John Kent. Kent studied law with Hugh William Hoyles and was called to the bar in 1864. He entered practice with

Joseph Ignatius Little Sir Joseph Ignatius Little (1835 14 July 1902) was a lawyer, politician, and judge in the Newfoundland Colony. Biography Little was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the son of Cornelius Little and Brigid (née Costin). He was a law ...

in St. John's. In 1866, he married Ellen F. Donnelly. He was first elected to the assembly as a supporter of Charles James Fox Bennett. Kent's law firm represented the Newfoundland Railway Company. In 1884 and 1885, he defended 19

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

s charged with murder following riots involving

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and Catholic supporters in

Harbour Grace Harbour Grace is a town in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With roots dating back to the 16th century, it is one of the oldest towns in North America. It is located about northwest ...

. He was

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

for the Newfoundland assembly from 1883 until 1885, when Kent resigned as speaker after a Conservative-Liberal coalition broke up. He left politics in 1886. Kent also served as president of the Benevolent Irish Society from 1883 to 1891 and of the Law Society of Newfoundland from 1888 to 1893. He died in St. John's in 1893.

References

* Speakers of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly 1835 births 1893 deaths Newfoundland Colony people Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland {{Newfoundland-politician-stub