James Lorimer Ilsley
Encyclopedia
James Lorimer Ilsley, PC
, KC
(January 3, 1894 – January 14, 1967) was a Canadian
politician and jurist.
He was born in Somerset, Nova Scotia
, the son of Randel Ilsley and Catherine Caldwell. Ilsley was educated at Acadia University
and Dalhousie University
and was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in 1916. In 1919, he married Evelyn Smith. Ilsley practiced law in Yarmouth
and Halifax, Nova Scotia
until he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as a Liberal
in the 1926 election
. He survived the 1930 election
that sent the Liberals into Opposition.
When the party returned to power in the 1935 election
, Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
brought Ilsley into Cabinet as Minister of National Revenue
. In 1940, he was promoted to Minister of Finance
. He held that position for the duration of World War II
during a period of massive expansion in expenditure due to the war effort. He was recognized for his service in 1946 when he was appointed to the Imperial Privy Council, and given the honorific of "Right Honourable".
The same year, he became Minister of Justice
. He served in that position until he retired from politics in 1948. The next year, he was appointed to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court
, and became Chief Justice
of Nova Scotia in 1950. He served in that capacity until his death in 1967 in Halifax at the age of 73.
J. L. Ilsley High School
, opened in 1971 and located in Spryfield, Nova Scotia
, bears his name.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, KC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(January 3, 1894 – January 14, 1967) was a Canadian
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...
politician and jurist.
He was born in Somerset, Nova Scotia
Somerset, Nova Scotia
Somerset, Nova Scotia could mean the following:*Somerset in Kings County*Somerset in Lunenburg County...
, the son of Randel Ilsley and Catherine Caldwell. Ilsley was educated at Acadia University
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
and Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
and was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in 1916. In 1919, he married Evelyn Smith. Ilsley practiced law in Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
and Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
until he 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 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...
in the 1926 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...
. He survived 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...
that sent the Liberals into Opposition.
When the party returned to power 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...
, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
brought Ilsley into Cabinet as Minister of National Revenue
Minister of National Revenue (Canada)
The Minister of National Revenue is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency and the administration of taxation law and collection....
. In 1940, he was promoted to Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
. He held that position for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
during a period of massive expansion in expenditure due to the war effort. He was recognized for his service in 1946 when he was appointed to the Imperial Privy Council, and given the honorific of "Right Honourable".
The same year, he became Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (Canada)
The Minister of Justice is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada .This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone with formal legal training...
. He served in that position until he retired from politics in 1948. The next year, he was appointed to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court
Nova Scotia Supreme Court
The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia.The Court comprises the Chief Justice , the Associate Chief justice, twenty-one judges and six supernumerary Justices, who sit in 18 different locations around the province.-Jurisdiction:As with all superior courts...
, and became Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of Nova Scotia in 1950. He served in that capacity until his death in 1967 in Halifax at the age of 73.
J. L. Ilsley High School
J. L. Ilsley High School
J.L. Ilsley High School is a Canadian high school located in Spryfield in the western part of Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. The school is named after James Lorimer Ilsley, a former federal cabinet minister who served in Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King's World War II...
, opened in 1971 and located in Spryfield, Nova Scotia
Spryfield, Nova Scotia
Spryfield is a community in Mainland Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was founded about 1770, by Captain William Spry, who purchased land there and established the settlement with the aid of stationed soldiers from the nearby Halifax garrison...
, bears his name.
External links
- Marble, AE Nova Scotians at home and abroad: biographical sketches .... (1977) p.215 ISBN 0-88999-074-3