John Abbott

Sir John Abbott
Abbott in 1892
3rd Prime Minister of Canada
In office
June 16, 1891 – November 24, 1892
MonarchVictoria
Governor GeneralLord Stanley of Preston
Preceded byJohn A. Macdonald
Succeeded byJohn Thompson
19th Mayor of Montreal
In office
1887–1889
Preceded byHonoré Beaugrand
Succeeded byJacques Grenier
Canadian Senator from Quebec
In office
May 12, 1887 – October 30, 1893
Appointed byJohn A. Macdonald
ConstituencyInkerman
Member of Parliament
for Argenteuil
In office
1880–1887
Preceded byThomas Christie
Succeeded byJames Crocket Wilson
In office
September 20, 1867 – 1874
Preceded byRiding established
Succeeded byLemuel Cushing, Jr.
Personal details
Born
John Joseph Caldwell Abbott

(1821-03-12)March 12, 1821
St. Andrews East, Lower Canada
DiedOctober 30, 1893(1893-10-30) (aged 72)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Resting placeMount Royal Cemetery, Montreal
Political partyConservative
Spouse
(m. 1849)
Children8
Parent(s)Joseph Abbott
Harriet Bradford
EducationMcGill University (1847)
Signature
Military service
AllegianceProvince of Canada
Dominion of Canada
Branch/serviceCanadian Militia
Years of service1847–1884
RankCaptain
Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit2nd Montreal Militia Battalion
4th Montreal Militia Battalion
11th Argenteuil Rangers
Commands11th Argenteuil Rangers (1862-1884)
Battles/warsFenian Raids

Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott PC QC KCMG (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party.

Abbott was born in what is now Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec. He studied law at McGill University and became one of Montreal's best-known lawyers, later returning to McGill as a professor of law and earning a Doctor of Civil Law degree. He was perhaps best known for his successful defence of the perpetrators of the St. Albans Raid. Abbott involved himself in politics from a young age, signing the Montreal Annexation Manifesto in 1849 – which he later regretted – and winning election to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1860. In the lead-up to Confederation he was a prominent advocate for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers.

In the 1867 federal election, Abbott was elected to the new House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Conservative Party. A telegram leaked from his office played a key part in the Pacific Scandal of 1873, which led to the downfall of John A. Macdonald's first government. Abbott was appointed to the Senate in 1887, in order to become leader of the Government in the Senate. He became prime minister in June 1891 following Macdonald's death in office. He was the first native-born Canadian prime minister, both Macdonald and Alexander Mackenzie having been born in Scotland. Abbott was 70 years old at the time, and served only until November 1892 when he retired due to ill health. He died the following year.[1]

  1. ^ Miller, Carman (May 23, 2007). "Sir John Abbott". The Canadian Encyclopedia (online ed.). Historica Canada. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.