Stanislaus Francis Perry (May 7, 1823 – February 24, 1898) was a Canadian farmer and politician in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

Early life

He was born Stanislas-François Poirier in

Tignish, Prince Edward Island Tignish is a Canadian town located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is located approximately northwest of the city of Summerside, and northwest of the city of Charlottetown. It has a population of 719. The name "Tignish" is derive ...

, the son of Pierre Poirier and Marie-Blanche Gaudet. Poirier was educated in Tignish and then was educated in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at St. Andrew's College in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

. On his return to Tignish in 1843, he taught school. Poirier

anglicize Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

d his name around this time. In 1847, he married Margaret Carroll. He was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1851.

Political career

In 1854, Perry left teaching, began farming to support his family and entered politics. As an Acadian, he supported the redistribution of land on the island from the landowners to the tenant farmers. In 1870, he supported a coalition conservative government because it supported grants to

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 ...

schools. Perry was speaker in the provincial assembly from 1873 to 1874. Perry was initially opposed to

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

but ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons in 1873 before being elected in 1874. He was also an unsuccessful federal candidate in 1878 and 1882. He was defeated in 1896 but won the subsequent by-election after the first election was declared invalid. Perry was a proponent of a tunnel to link the island to the mainland. He represented

1st Prince 1st Prince was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1873 to 1993. The district comprised the westernmost portion of Prince Co ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locate ...

from 1854 to 1875 and from 1879 to 1887 and, in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

, represented Prince County from 1874 to 1878 and from 1887 to 1896 and

West Prince West Prince was a federal electoral district in Prince Edward Island, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1896 to 1904. This riding was created in 1892 from parts of Prince County ridings. It was abolished in ...

from 1897 to 1898 as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member. Perry (Poirier) was the first

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

to serve in both the provincial assembly and the House of Commons. Perry helped organize the first and second Acadian national conventions in

Memramcook, New Brunswick Memramcook, sometimes also spelled Memramcouke or Memramkouke, is a village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located in south-eastern New Brunswick, the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac deri ...

(1881) and

Miscouche, Prince Edward Island Miscouche (2021 population: 992) is a municipality that holds List of municipalities in Prince Edward Island#Communities, community status in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Prince County. Incor ...

(1884) although he boycotted the second event because he wanted the event to be held in Tignish.

Death

He died in office in Ottawa in 1898 and was buried in Tignish.

Personal life

He was the grandfather of Nova Scotia Premier

Angus Lewis Macdonald Angus Lewis Macdonald (August 10, 1890 – April 13, 1954), popularly known as 'Angus L.', was a Canadian lawyer, law professor and politician from Nova Scotia. He served as the Liberal premier of Nova Scotia from 1933 to 1940, when he became ...

Highland Connections: Port Hood
Virtual Museum and is a direct ancestor of current PEI MLA Hal Perry.

References

External links

* *
Standardbearers of Acadian Identity, McCord Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Stanislaus F 1823 births 1898 deaths People from Tignish, Prince Edward Island Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Prince Edward Island Liberal Party of Canada MPs Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Canadian Roman Catholics Acadian people Canadian justices of the peace