Urbain Johnson (January 27, 1824 – April 13, 1917) was a farmer and political figure in the

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 ...

province of

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. He represented Kent County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...

from 1869 to 1870, from 1874 to 1882 and from 1895 to 1908 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. He was born and educated at

Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick Saint-Louis-de-Kent is a Canadian village in Kent County, New Brunswick. Often shortened to simply Saint-Louis, the village is situated on the Kouchibouguacis River at the main entrance to Kouchibouguac National Park. It is considered as the b ...

, the son of Simon Johnson and Geneviève Vautour. Johnson was a descendant of Scottish immigrants who had first settled among the

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 ...

s in the

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is seen to the east.">Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula ...

area. In 1856, he married Nathalie Leblanc. Johnson was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in an 1869 by-election held after Owen McInerney was named to the Legislative Council. Johnson was defeated in the general election which followed in 1870. He opposed the

Common Schools Act The ''Common Schools Act of 1871'' (the Act) was legislation of the Canadian Province of New Brunswick, passed by the 22nd New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, which replaced the ''Parish Schools Act'' of 1858. The legislation aimed to abolish chur ...

which banned

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instruction in the province's school system based on the principle of

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. He attended the convention of the

Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (french: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic assoc ...

convention in

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in 1880 and the Acadian national convention in 1881, where he suggested that the Acadians choose a different holiday and symbols from those chosen by other

French Canadians French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

. He also was 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 ...

and an officer in the local militia. Johnson retired from politics in 1908. He died in 1917, aged 93.

References

''The Canadian parliamentary companion for 1875'', HJ MorganUrbain Johnson, McCord Museum of Canadian History
(French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Urbain 1824 births 1917 deaths Canadian farmers New Brunswick Liberal Association MLAs Acadian people People from Kent County, New Brunswick Canadian people of Scottish descent