Simon Hugh Holmes (July 30, 1831 – October 14, 1919) was a Nova Scotia politician, publisher and lawyer. He was the fourth

premier of Nova Scotia The premier of Nova Scotia is the first minister to the lieutenant governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia. Following the Westminster system, the premier is normally the leader of ...

from 1878 to 1882. Holmes was born in

Springville, Nova Scotia Springville is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Pictou County Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 t ...

, in Pictou County. The son of Nova Scotia politician and Canadian senator John Holmes, Holmes in 1858 founded and edited the Pictou ''Colonial Standard'' as “a dedicated advocate of the principles of true Conservatism.” The paper and Holmes were advocates of Canadian confederation. Holmes remained editor until 1878 when he became Premier. Holmes attempted to win a seat in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1867 but was defeated in a wave of anti-Confederation sentiment. He won a seat in 1871 and soon became ''de facto'' leader of the Conservative opposition. The Tories won the 1878 election and Holmes became

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of the province to find the treasury depleted and the Legislative Council in the hands of the Liberals. The Tory government passed legislation to create county government, lengthened the training period for teachers, subsidized education for blind children and attempted to improve

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

safety. The Liberal-dominated Upper House frustrated much of Holmes' program and he attempted three times to abolish the Legislative Council, but failed. Holmes' personal style tended to be authoritarian and this factor, along with the political impasse, led to a

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

revolt that resulted in his resignation in 1882 to accept a lucrative position as crown clerk for Halifax County. He died in Halifax.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Simon 1831 births 1919 deaths Canadian Presbyterians Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Premiers of Nova Scotia People from Pictou County Canadian people of Scottish descent 19th-century newspaper publishers (people) Canadian newspaper publishers (people) Nova Scotia political party leaders