John Alexander Mathieson
Encyclopedia
John Alexander Mathieson (May 19, 1863 – January 7, 1947) was a Prince Edward Island
politician and jurist, the 12th Premier
.
Mathieson was born in Harrington and was a graduate of Prince of Wales College
. He was a schoolmaster and lawyer before entering politics with his election to the province's legislature
as a Conservative in 1900.
Mathieson sat on the opposition benches becoming leader of the opposition
and the Conservative Party in 1903. In December 1911, the Liberal government resigned when Premier
H. James Palmer was defeated in a by-election
which also caused the governing Liberals to lose their majority
in the legislature. The lieutenant-governor asked Mathieson as leader of the opposition to form a government, which he did, going on to win a mandate in the 1912 general election.
Mathieson's government pressed the federal government to fulfill the terms on which Prince Edward Island joined Canadian confederation
in 1873. He succeeded in persuading Ottawa to provide an improved annual subsidy to the province and, in 1915, Ottawa announced the creation of a year round ferry service to connect the island to the mainland. The ferries began operating between PEI and New Brunswick
in 1917.
The province was also at risk of losing representation in the Canadian House of Commons
due to population shifts. PEI had six MP
s when it joined confederation in 1873, this was reduced to four and was to be cut further as a result of the 1911 census. Mathieson persuaded the federal government to agree to an amendment to the British North America Act guaranteeing the province a minimum of four MPs in perpetuity.
In 1917, Premier Mathieson left politics to accept an appointment as Chief Justice
of Prince Edward Island and served in that position until he retired in 1943.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
politician and jurist, the 12th Premier
Premier of Prince Edward Island
The Premier of Prince Edward Island is the first minister for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive.The current Premier of Prince Edward Island is Robert Ghiz.-See also:...
.
Mathieson was born in Harrington and was a graduate of Prince of Wales College
Prince of Wales College
Prince of Wales College is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island....
. He was a schoolmaster and lawyer before entering politics with his election to the province's legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
as a Conservative in 1900.
Mathieson sat on the opposition benches becoming leader of the opposition
Leader of the Opposition (PEI)
The Leader of the Opposition in Prince Edward Island is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.This list is incomplete...
and the Conservative Party in 1903. In December 1911, the Liberal government resigned when Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
H. James Palmer was defeated in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
which also caused the governing Liberals to lose their majority
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in the legislature. The lieutenant-governor asked Mathieson as leader of the opposition to form a government, which he did, going on to win a mandate in the 1912 general election.
Mathieson's government pressed the federal government to fulfill the terms on which Prince Edward Island joined Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
in 1873. He succeeded in persuading Ottawa to provide an improved annual subsidy to the province and, in 1915, Ottawa announced the creation of a year round ferry service to connect the island to the mainland. The ferries began operating between PEI and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
in 1917.
The province was also at risk of losing representation in 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...
due to population shifts. PEI had six MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s when it joined confederation in 1873, this was reduced to four and was to be cut further as a result of the 1911 census. Mathieson persuaded the federal government to agree to an amendment to the British North America Act guaranteeing the province a minimum of four MPs in perpetuity.
In 1917, Premier Mathieson left politics to accept an appointment as 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 Prince Edward Island and served in that position until he retired in 1943.