Absalom Greeley was the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Prince Edward County

Prince Edward County, Ontario

Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...

 in the 1st Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1870. Greeley ran on the political platform of the Reform movement; however he was thought to be a Yankee Tory; a conservative with American origins in the American Whig Party

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

. He is also supportive of the Family Compact

Family Compact

Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...

 which is not consistent with a Reform platform.

Origins

Absalom Greeley is believed to have emigrated from Maine, U.S.A. with his parents in the early half of the 1800s. His father had been a surveyor there. Although largely self-educated, he is credited with good learning and significant intellect. His place of residence after 1881 is unknown.

Political History

In 1869, he is reported in Toronto newspapers as supporting the extravagant expenses at the Governors residence in an attempt to curry favour with the Family Compact

Family Compact

Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...

. He is also reported to have tried to sell his party nomination for a county seat as Reeve; an attempt which eventually failed and became public knownledge. Greeley did not run in the 1871 election. In 1881, Greeley was charged with forgery in the town of Picton

Picton, Ontario

Picton is an unincorporated community located in Prince Edward County in southern Central Ontario, Canada. It is the county seat and largest community. Picton is located at the south-western end of Picton Bay, a branch of the Bay of Quinte, which is along the northern shoreline of Lake Ontario...

, Prince Edward County.

Select Committees

• Select Committee to inquire into and report upon the endowment and utility of Upper Canada College and its relationship to the educational system

• Select Committee to enquire into the usefulness and cost of wooden railways as a means of furthering the settlement of the country

• Select Committee to consider Bill 33 Respecting Union Houses and Religious Worship

• Select Committee to consider Bill 14 registration of births and deaths and marriages

• Select Committee appointed to examine in to the working of the common and grammar school system of Ontario

• Select Committee to consider Bill 30, An Act for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Horticulture, Arts and Manufactures

• Select Committee to Revise the Standing Orders of this House Affecting Bills relating to Railways, Canals and Telegraphs

• Special Committee to consider the Municipal and Assessments Act