William Warren Lynch (September 30, 1845 – November 23, 1916) was a

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 ...

lawyer, politician, and judge in the province of Quebec.

Biography

Born near the Village of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, County of Missisquoi, Canada East, the son of Thomas Lynch of

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

and Charlotte R. Williams, Lynch attended Stanbridge Academy and entered the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 1861 but did not continue his studies there due to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1862, he received a scholarship from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

and entered the Arts course but due to his poor health he was unable to complete his studies. In 1865, he started studying law in the law office of S. W. Foster in Knowlton and later John Monk in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree from McGill in 1868 and was called to the Quebec Bar the same year. In 1869, he started practicing law in Knowlton and later in Sweetsburg. He was made a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister o ...

by the Quebec government in 1879 and the Federal government in 1881. During the Fenian raids of 1866 Lynch took an active part in the formation of a company of volunteers at Brome, of which he became lieutenant, and remained such until his resignation in 1871. In 1870, he became editor of the Cowansville ''Observer''. He was also Mayor of the Township of Brome, and Warden of the county. In 1874, he married Ellen Florence Pettes and they had two sons. In 1871, he was acclaimed to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the electoral district of Brome and moved to Knowlton. A

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, he was acclaimed in 1875 and re-elected in 1881 and 1886. He was Solicitor-General in the cabinet of

Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau Sir Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau (November 9, 1840 – June 13, 1898), born in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, was a French-Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 7th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1892 to 1898. Life As a lawyer, he defen ...

and later was appointed commissioner of railways and commissioner of crown lands. In 1889, he was appointed a Judge of the Superior Court for the District of Bedford. He resigned in 1915 and died in 1916.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, William 1845 births 1916 deaths People from Montérégie Canadian Militia officers McGill University alumni Conservative Party of Quebec MNAs Judges in Quebec Canadian people of Irish descent Anglophone Quebec people Canadian King's Counsel