James Cox Aikins, (March 30, 1823 – August 8, 1904) was a prominent

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 ...

politician in the 19th century. He twice served as a cabinet minister in the government of

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

, and was the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1882 to 1888.

Early life and career

Aikins was born in Toronto Township,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...

(now Mississauga, Ontario). His father had previously converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

, and the young Aikins was educated at the Methodist-run Upper Canada Academy in Cobourg from 1840 to 1845. Upon graduation, he acquired land near Toronto and worked as a farmer. Aikins was offered the

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

(i.e., Liberal) nomination for

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in the 1851 Canadian parliamentary election, but declined. Three years later, he was elected to the

Province of Canada 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 th ...

's legislature for the newly formed riding of Peel as a

Clear Grit Clear Grits were reformers in the Canada West district of the Province of United Canada, a British colony that is now the Province of Ontario, Canada. Their name is said to have been given by David Christie, who said that only those were wanted ...

(i.e., radical reformer). Cox defeated

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 in ...

G. Wright by 865 votes to 810. The Clear Grit faction in parliament had previously been aligned with

Francis Hincks Sir Francis Hincks, (December 14, 1807 – August 18, 1885) was a Canadian businessman, politician, and British colonial administrator. An immigrant from Ireland, he was the Co-Premier of the Province of Canada (1851–1854), Governor of Bar ...

's governing Reformers, but this alliance ended after the 1854 election. Most of Hincks's supporters subsequently formed a new alliance with the Conservatives, while the Clear Grits formed a "left opposition" and attempted to reconstruct the Reform Party on their terms. Aikins was a minor figure in the Grit parliamentary ranks for the next three years but was nevertheless re-elected in 1857, with 2007 votes against 915 for his Conservative opponent. The Conservative-led alliance remained in power during these years, and Aikins remained in opposition. Between 1856 and 1861, there were numerous debates in Peel County concerning a planned division of the riding, and the location of its new county seat. Local differences weakened the reformist cause, and Aikins was narrowly defeated by Conservative

John Hillyard Cameron John Hillyard Cameron, (April 14, 1817 – November 14, 1876) was an Ontario lawyer, businessman and political figure. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament representing Peel from 1867 to 1872 and Cardwell from 1872 until his death. ...

in the election of 1861. In 1862, Aikins was elected to an eight-year term in the Province of Canada's Legislative Council, an upper house with both appointed and elected members. Running 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 ...

in the Home division, he defeated his sole opponent by 2934 votes to 1559. Aikins played only a minor role in the parliamentary debates on

Canadian confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...

, which he supported in principle despite concerns about the legislative means which

was using to move the policy forward. After Confederation was approved, Aikins attempted to introduce legislation for an elected senate, but was ruled out-of-order by the Council's speaker. Along with other members of the Legislative Council, he was appointed to the (unelected) Canadian Senate upon its creation in May 1867. Representing the (Ontario) Senate Division. In 1868, Aikins was offered a cabinet position in

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

's Liberal-Conservative government, but turned it down for fear of dividing the Liberal Party.

Cabinet minister and lieutenant governor

In 1869, Francis Hincks returned to Canadian political life by joining Macdonald's government as a "coalition Reformer". Macdonald wanted Liberal Senators

William McMaster William McMaster (24 December 1811 – 22 September 1887) was a Canadian wholesaler, senator and banker in the 19th century. A director of the Bank of Montreal from 1864 to 1867, he was a driving force behind the creation of the Canadian ...

and Aikins to join Hincks in the ministry, to further broaden its appeal with the electorate; McMaster declined, but suggested that Aikins accept the offer and represent Liberal interests inside the government. Aikins was agreeable to his suggestion, and became a Minister without Portfolio on November 16. On December 8, he was appointed

Secretary of State for Canada The Secretary of State for Canada, established in 1867 with a corresponding department, was a Canadian Cabinet position that served as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London. Scot ...

, and would continue to hold this position until the defeat of the Macdonald government on November 5, 1873. He also served as acting

Secretary of State for the Provinces Secretary of State for the Provinces was an office in the Cabinet of Canada, active from 1867 to 1873. The office was superseded by the Minister of the Interior on May 3, 1873. The position was responsible for managing the responsibilities and in ...

and Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs for one month in 1873, following the resignation of

Joseph Howe Joseph Howe (December 13, 1804 – June 1, 1873) was a Nova Scotian journalist, politician, public servant, and poet. Howe is often ranked as one of Nova Scotia's most admired politicians and his considerable skills as a journalist and writer ha ...

. When Macdonald's Conservatives were returned to government in 1878, Aikins was again appointed Secretary of State for Canada as the ministry's sole "coalition Reformer" (the group was by this time a minor political force in Canada). On November 8, 1880, Aikins was promoted to the Ministry of Inland Revenue. In this capacity, he oversaw various applications for government postings; he had little direct control over patronage in central Canada, but was a more powerful figure as regards the western provinces. Aikins's support for

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

was an embarrassment for the Macdonald government, which received considerable financial support from liquor interests. On May 22, 1882, Aikins was persuaded to resign from cabinet and the Senate, and to accept an appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (with the promise of being re-appointed to the Senate after his term ended). He formally resigned from the Senate on May 30, and was sworn into his new position on December 2. Aikins arrived in Manitoba during a period of discord between the provincial and federal governments; Macdonald had recently disallowed Premier

John Norquay John Norquay (May 8, 1841 – July 5, 1889) was the fifth premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region. ...

's railway legislation, and an opposition movement was forming around

Thomas Greenway Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...

. Aikins was under orders from Macdonald to ensure that provincial legislation reflected national policies, but his awkward relationship with Norquay made his task difficult. Aikins presided over the transfer of power from Norquay to Greenway in 1887-88, but his own involvement in Manitoba politics was fairly limited. Initially a very powerful office, the position of Lieutenant Governor in Manitoba was largely ceremonial by this time and more so under his predecessor Cauchon. Aikins's term in office ended on July 1, 1888, though he was not re-appointed to the Senate until January 7, 1896 again representing (Ontario). By now fully integrated into the Conservative ranks, he remained a Senator until his death in 1904. He is buried in

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. It was opened in November 1876 and is located north of Moore Park, a neighbourhood of Toronto. The cemetery has k ...

Family

James Cox Aikins married Mary Elizabeth Jane Somerset on June 5, 1845. She was the only daughter of John Somerset, Esquire, of Toronto. She was a founder and the first president of the Women's Hospital Aid Society of

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. She was a founder of the Christian Woman's Union of Winnipeg. The couple had three sons and two daughters. Mary Elizabeth Jane died May 25, 1899. One of the couple's sons, also named

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, served as Lt. Governor of Manitoba in the early 20th century.

Early life and career

Cabinet minister and lieutenant governor

Family

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