William Douglas Balfour (August 2, 1851 – August 19, 1896) was a speaker for the Legislature of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in 1895–1896 and served as

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 ...

MLA for

Essex South ''For the defunct provincial electoral district, see Essex South (provincial electoral district).'' Essex South was a federal and provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to ...

from 1882 to 1896. He was born in

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a p ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 1851, the son of David Balfour and Janet Douglas, and came to St. Catharines,

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 ...

, with his family in 1857. He studied at the Grantham Academy and went on to teach school in Grantham and Louth townships. In 1872, with Robert Matheson, he became the owner of the ''St. Catharines News''. Balfour moved to

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town is ...

in 1874 and became owner of the ''

Amherstburg Echo The ''Amherstburg Echo'' was a newspaper which served Amherstburg, Ontario from 1874 to 2012. History The Amherstburg Echo was founded in November 1874 by William D. Balfour and John A. Auld. The first home of the ''Amherstburg Echo'' was in a ...

'' with

John Allan Auld John Allan Auld (June 22, 1853 – August 8, 1924) was an Ontario newspaper owner and political figure. He represented Essex South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1896 to 1908. He was born in Warwick, Lambton ...

. He married Josephine Brodhead that same year. Balfour served as reeve for Amherstburg from 1878 to 1882. He ran unsuccessfully in the provincial riding of Essex South in 1879 but was later elected in that riding in an 1882 by-election after

Lewis Wigle Lewis Wigle (March 10, 1845 – July 30, 1934) was an Ontario farmer, businessman and political figure. He represented Essex South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1875 to 1882 and in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to 18 ...

was elected to the federal parliament. In 1884, Balfour reported that he had been offered a bribe to withdraw his support from the government of

Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario and one of ...

. During his time in office, he opposed provincial toll-roads and supported the vote for women and the admission of women to the practice of law. Balfour also introduced a bill in 1884 which authorized Delos Rogest Davis, the son of a former slave, to practice law in Ontario. In July 1896, Balfour was named provincial secretary. He died in office in Toronto a short time later that year, aged 45, from complications caused by

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and was buried at Amherstburg. His son,

David A. Balfour David Avoca Balfour (1889–1956) was a municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was active in civic politics from 1939 until 1955. This included twelve years on the Board of Control, a longer service than anyone prior. Balfour was bor ...

, became a prominent municipal politician in Toronto.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, William 1851 births 1896 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Provincial Secretaries of Ontario Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario People from Forfar Immigrants to the Province of Canada