William Power (September 10, 1800 – July 11, 1860) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

and

Canada East Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...

. He represented Gaspé in the

Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house consisted of ele ...

from 1832 to 1838. He was born in

Harbour Grace, Newfoundland 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 of ...

, the son of Michael Power, 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 ...

immigrant, and Elizabeth Tovig. Power was educated in Ireland, then studied law at

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

with

Norman Fitzgerald Uniacke Norman Fitzgerald Uniacke (ca 1777 – December 11, 1846) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada and Nova Scotia. He represented William-Henry in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1824 to 1825. He was born, pr ...

and then

George Vanfelson George Vanfelson, (April 23, 1784 – February 16, 1856) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and t ...

, and was admitted to the Lower Canada bar in 1826. In 1827, he was named clerk for the Vice Admiralty Court. Power voted against the

Ninety-Two Resolutions The Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the ''Parti patriote'' of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony. Papineau had b ...

. He married Suzanne Aubert de Gaspé, the daughter of Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé, in 1829. He was a captain in the Queen's Volunteers in the

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (french: Cantons de l'Est) is an historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby in the southwest, to Drummondv ...

. In 1840, he was named to the Court of Appeals for Quebec district; in 1844, he was named to the circuit court and, in 1857, to the

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Qu ...

for Montmagny district. He died in Montmagny at the age of 59.

References

* *Roy, P
''Les juges de la province de Québec''
(1933) p. 449 (French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Power, William 1800 births 1860 deaths Lawyers in Lower Canada and Canada East Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Judges in Canada East, Province of Canada People from Harbour Grace Lower Canada judges Anglophone Quebec people Canadian people of Irish descent