Fathers of Confederation

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The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadian Confederation. Only ten people attended all three conferences.

Of the 36 Fathers, 11 were Freemasons, notably Macdonald, but including Bernard, Campbell, Carter, Chandler, Galt, Gray, Haviland, Henry, Pope, and Tilley.[1]

Table of participation[]

The following table lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at each stage.[2][3]

Participant[3] Portrait Province (Current) Charlottetown Quebec City London
Sir Adams George Archibald
Adams George Archibald.jpg
 Nova Scotia Yes Yes Yes
George Brown
Brown-sm.jpg
 Ontario Yes Yes No
Sir Alexander Campbell
Sir Alexander Campbell.jpg
 Ontario Yes Yes No
Sir Frederick Carter
FrederickCarter.jpg
 Newfoundland and Labrador No Yes No
Sir George-Étienne Cartier
George-Etienne Cartier.jpg
 Quebec Yes Yes Yes
Edward Barron Chandler
Edward Barron Chandler.jpg
 New Brunswick Yes Yes No
Jean-Charles Chapais
Jean-Charles Chapais.jpg
 Quebec No Yes No
James Cockburn
James Cockburn.jpg
 Ontario No Yes No
George Coles
GeorgeColes.jpg
 Prince Edward Island Yes Yes No
Robert B. Dickey
Robert B. Dickey.jpg
 Nova Scotia Yes Yes No
Charles Fisher
CharlesFisher23.jpg
 New Brunswick No Yes Yes
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
Sir Alexander Galt.jpg
 Quebec Yes Yes Yes
John Hamilton Gray
John Hamilton Gray (1811-1887).jpg
 Prince Edward Island Yes Yes No
John Hamilton Gray
John Hamilton Gray.jpg
 New Brunswick Yes Yes No
Thomas Heath Haviland
Thomas Heath Haviland 2.jpg
 Prince Edward Island No Yes No
William Alexander Henry
William Alexander Henry.jpg
 Nova Scotia No Yes Yes
Sir William Pearce Howland
WilliamPearceHowland23.jpg
 Ontario No No Yes
John Mercer Johnson
John Mercer Johnson.jpeg
 New Brunswick Yes Yes Yes
Sir Hector-Louis Langevin
HectorLangevin23.jpg
 Quebec Yes Yes Yes
Andrew Archibald Macdonald
Andrew Archibald Macdonald.jpg
 Prince Edward Island Yes Yes No
Sir John A. Macdonald
Macdonald-sm.jpg
 Ontario Yes Yes Yes
Jonathan McCully
Jonathan McCully.jpg
 Nova Scotia Yes Yes Yes
William McDougall
William McDougall.jpg
 Ontario Yes Yes Yes
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
McGee-sm.jpg
 Quebec Yes Yes No
Peter Mitchell
Peter Mitchell.jpg
 New Brunswick No Yes Yes
Sir Oliver Mowat
Oliver Mowat.jpg
 Ontario No Yes No
Edward Palmer
Edward Palmer.jpg
 Prince Edward Island Yes Yes No
William Henry Pope
William Henry Pope.jpg
 Prince Edward Island Yes Yes No
John William Ritchie
John William Ritchie.jpg
 Nova Scotia No No Yes
Sir Ambrose Shea
Ambrose Shea.jpg
 Newfoundland and Labrador No Yes No
William H. Steeves
William Henry Steeves.jpg
 New Brunswick Yes Yes No
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché
Étienne-Paschal Taché.jpg
 Quebec No Yes No
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
Samuel Leonard Tilley.jpg
 New Brunswick Yes Yes Yes
Sir Charles Tupper
CharlesTupper1870.jpg
 Nova Scotia Yes Yes Yes
Edward Whelan
Edward Whelan2.jpg
 Prince Edward Island No Yes No
Robert Duncan Wilmot
Robert Duncan Wilmot.jpg
 New Brunswick No No Yes

Group photographs[]

  • Delegates from the Legislatures of Canada, gathering on the steps of Prince Edward Island's Government House for the Charlottetown Conference – Photo by George P. Roberts on September 11, 1864.

  • Delegates of the Legislatures of Canada gathering at the Quebec Conference – Photo by Jules I. Livernois on October 27, 1864.

  • The Founders of Confederation of the Dominion of Canada (HS85-10-32966).jpg

Other possible claimants to title[]

Four other individuals have been labelled as Fathers of Confederation. Hewitt Bernard, who was the recording secretary at the Charlottetown Conference, is considered by some to be a Father of Confederation.[4] The leaders most responsible for bringing three specific provinces into Confederation after 1867 are also referred to as Fathers of Confederation.[2]

  • The provisional government established by Louis Riel ultimately negotiated the terms under which Manitoba entered the Canadian Confederation in 1870.[5]
  • The leadership of Amor De Cosmos was instrumental both in bringing democracy to British Columbia and in bringing the province into Confederation in 1871.[6]
  • The province of Newfoundland entered the Canadian Confederation in 1949 under the leadership of Joey Smallwood, who was then referred to as the "only living Father of Confederation".[7]

See also[]

Maple Leaf (from roundel).svg Canada portal
A coloured voting box.svg Politics portal
  • List of Prime Ministers of Canada
  • List of national founders
  • Persons of National Historic Significance
  • Anti-Confederation Party

References[]

  1. ^ Michael Jenkyns (July 2017). "Canada's Sesquicentennial - Freemasonry and Confederation". Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Fathers of Confederation". CanadianHistory. 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Bélanger, Claude (2001). "Studies on the Canadian Constitution and Canadian Federalism". Department of History, Marianopolis College. Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  4. ^ Harrison, Robert A (2003). The conventional man. Canadian Legal History by University of Toronto Press. p. 627. ISBN 0-8020-8842-2. Archived from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  5. ^ The Heritage Centre. "Louis Riel The Provisional Government". Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  6. ^ Frances, Stanford (2002). Canada's Confederation. S&S Learning Materials. p. 44. ISBN 1-55035-708-5. Archived from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  7. ^ Argyle, Ray (2012). Joey Smallwood, Schemer and Dreamer. Dundurn Press. ISBN 9781459703698.

Further reading[]

External links[]

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