Ambrose Upton Gledstanes Bury
Encyclopedia
Ambrose Upton Gledstanes Bury (August 1, 1869 – March 29, 1951) was a politician in Alberta
, Canada
, a mayor of Edmonton
, and a member of the Canadian House of Commons
.
, Ireland
on August 1, 1869. He was educated at the Liverpool Institute, the Royal School in Raphoe
, Dublin High School
, Trinity College
, and the King's Inn
in Dublin, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts
in 1890 and a Master of Arts in 1893.
He married Margaret Amy Beatrice Owen on June 16, 1897 with whom he would have one son.
He was called to the Irish Bar
in 1906, and practiced law in Ireland before immigrating to Edmonton in 1912. The following year, he was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta
. He practiced law as a partner of Ewing, Harvie & Bury (later Harvie, Bury & Yanda), and was chancellor of the Anglican
diocese
at Athabasca
from 1919.
in the 1921 provincial election
as a Conservative
in Edmonton
. He was defeated, finishing fourteenth of twenty-six candidates.
Later that year, in the 1921 municipal election
, Bury was elected to the Edmonton City Council
for a two year term as alderman, finishing fourth of nineteen candidates in a race in which the top seven candidates were elected. He was re-elected to another two year term in the 1923 election
.
Towards the end of his second term on council, Bury was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as a Conservative
in the riding of Edmonton East
in the 1925 election
. However, Parliament was dissolved amid the King-Byng Affair
the following year, and Bury was narrowly defeated in the ensuing election
by Liberal
(and incumbent mayor of Edmonton) Kenny Blatchford.
Blatchford had taken his job, and Bury set out to take Blatchford's, running for mayor in the 1926 election
. He defeated Daniel Kennedy Knott
(who would go on to become mayor himself after Bury left municipal politics), and was re-elected in 1927
and 1928
. He did not seek re-election in 1929
, anticipating a rematch against Blatchford in the next federal election.
Bury defeated Blatchford by a substantial margin in the 1930 election
as R. B. Bennett
's Conservative government swept to power. He opted not to seek re-election in the 1935 election
. He was appointed as a district court judge that year, and served in that capacity until he reached the retirement age of 75 in 1944.
to live with his brother. He died in Ottawa
March 29, 1951. His funeral was held in Edmonton, and he was buried in the Edmonton Cemetery.
Bury had been an active Freemason
.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a mayor of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, and a member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Early life
Ambrose Bury was born in Downings House, County KildareCounty Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on August 1, 1869. He was educated at the Liverpool Institute, the Royal School in Raphoe
Raphoe
Raphoe is a town in County Donegal, part of the province of Ulster in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.-Name:Raphoe,...
, Dublin High School
The High School, Dublin
The High School is a co-educational school located in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1870 in Harcourt Street before moving to its current location in Rathgar in 1971 and amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girls in 1974, thereby becoming co-educational.-Millennium...
, Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, and the King's Inn
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
in Dublin, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1890 and a Master of Arts in 1893.
He married Margaret Amy Beatrice Owen on June 16, 1897 with whom he would have one son.
He was called to the Irish Bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1906, and practiced law in Ireland before immigrating to Edmonton in 1912. The following year, he was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta
Law Society of Alberta
The Law Society of Alberta is the self-regulating body for lawyers in Alberta, Canada.-Purpose:The Law Society is created and governed by the . As a law society, the Law Society is much more than a professional association and every lawyer who practices in Alberta must belong to it...
. He practiced law as a partner of Ewing, Harvie & Bury (later Harvie, Bury & Yanda), and was chancellor of the Anglican
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
at Athabasca
Athabasca, Alberta
Athabasca is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the centre of Athabasca County. Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.- History :...
from 1919.
Political career
Bury's first attempt at public office was running for the Legislative Assembly of AlbertaLegislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
in the 1921 provincial election
Alberta general election, 1921
The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....
as a Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
in Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
. He was defeated, finishing fourteenth of twenty-six candidates.
Later that year, in the 1921 municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1921
The 1921 municipal election was held December 12, 1921 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
, Bury was elected to the Edmonton City Council
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
for a two year term as alderman, finishing fourth of nineteen candidates in a race in which the top seven candidates were elected. He was re-elected to another two year term in the 1923 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1923
The 1923 municipal election was held December 10, 1923 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
.
Towards the end of his second term on council, Bury was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
in the riding of Edmonton East
Edmonton East
Edmonton East is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.The district includes a portion of the city of Edmonton.-Geography:...
in the 1925 election
Canadian federal election, 1925
The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held on October 29 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party formed a minority government. This precipitated the "King-Byng Affair".The Liberals under...
. However, Parliament was dissolved amid the King-Byng Affair
King-Byng Affair
The King–Byng Affair was a Canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926, when the Governor General of Canada, the Lord Byng of Vimy, refused a request by his prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, to dissolve parliament and call a general election....
the following year, and Bury was narrowly defeated in the ensuing election
Canadian federal election, 1926
The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair...
by Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
(and incumbent mayor of Edmonton) Kenny Blatchford.
Blatchford had taken his job, and Bury set out to take Blatchford's, running for mayor in the 1926 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1926
The 1926 municipal election was held December 13, 1926 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
. He defeated Daniel Kennedy Knott
Daniel Kennedy Knott
Daniel Kennedy Knott was a labour activist and politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Early life:Dan Knott was born in Collingwood, Ontario on July 1, 1879 to Hugh Knott and Margaret Wright...
(who would go on to become mayor himself after Bury left municipal politics), and was re-elected in 1927
Edmonton municipal election, 1927
The 1927 municipal election was held December 12, 1927 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
and 1928
Edmonton municipal election, 1928
The 1928 municipal election was held December 10, 1928 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
. He did not seek re-election in 1929
Edmonton municipal election, 1929
The 1929 municipal election was held December 9, 1929 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
, anticipating a rematch against Blatchford in the next federal election.
Bury defeated Blatchford by a substantial margin in the 1930 election
Canadian federal election, 1930
The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...
as R. B. Bennett
R. B. Bennett
Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, PC, KC was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from August 7, 1930, to October 23, 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years...
's Conservative government swept to power. He opted not to seek re-election in the 1935 election
Canadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
. He was appointed as a district court judge that year, and served in that capacity until he reached the retirement age of 75 in 1944.
Later life and death
In 1946, Bury's wife died, and Bury moved to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to live with his brother. He died in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
March 29, 1951. His funeral was held in Edmonton, and he was buried in the Edmonton Cemetery.
Bury had been an active Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
.