Nicholas Flood Davin National Historic Person of Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan
Posted by: 
colincan
N 50° 26.257 W 104° 37.047
13U E 527166 N 5587358
Nicholas F. Davin was one of Regina’s most mercurial personalities. He was a war correspondent, lawyer then journalist. The Regina Leader newspaper he founded became a voice of conservatism on the Prairies. He cut his own tumultuous life short.
Waymark Code: WMGQE4
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 03/31/2013
Views: 11
Irishman Nicholas Flood Davin (1840-1901) led a tumultuous and ultimately tragic life. He founded the Regina Leader newspaper, precursor to the merged Leader Post of to-day. Early in life he was a parliamentary reporter at Westminster, London, but he gave that up in favour of becoming a war correspondent for the Irish Times and London Standard, for whom he covered the Franco-Prussian War. After a stint in Belfast, sticky circumstances forced him into a move to Canada and a new start. He arrived in Toronto in 1872 and set about gaining credentials as a barrister. His legal reputation was enhanced by his defence of the alleged assassin of George Brown (of Globe fame) even though the case was lost. In political circles however he did himself no favour by clashing with fellow Liberal-Conservatives in feuds that had more to do with his tempestuous nature than with policy disagreements. Davin decided to move West to Regina which seemed to be more to his liking. Here his career became multifaceted. He turned to journalism and with outside investment founded the Leader. He became an author too, being one of the first to be published in the Northwest Territories. The paper was a success by expounding a conservative philosophy. Its circulation was greatly aided by the local trial of Louis Riel and Davin himself profited from an ill-begotten exclusive interview with the condemned prisoner. In Regina he became a justice of the peace and gained a profile as a well dressed dandy and exciting orator. His personal life though was subject to rumors regarding a liaison out of marriage. Meanwhile he sought election to Ottawa where indeed he was elected as member for Assiniboia West on three occasions. He served on royal commissions treating questions of Chinese immigration and secondly, the Canadian Pacific Railway. Locally, he became a political adversary of Edgar Dewdney who had gained the favour of Prime Minister Sir John A. Davin cut short his life in 1901 by which time much of his career had turned for the worse.
N.B. Some sources say he was born in 1843 but a preponderance of them indicate 1840!
Classification: National Historic Person
Province or Territory: Saskatchewan
Location - City name/Town name: Regina
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.