Sir James Pliny Whitney - South Dundas Township, Ontario
N 44° 56.011 W 075° 07.744
18T E 489815 N 4975573
James Whitney was the sixth Premier of the Province of Ontario. He served for 10 years between 1905 and 1914.
Waymark Code: WMT8ZR
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 10/16/2016
Views: 3
James Whitney was the sixth Premier of the Province of Ontario. He served for 10 years between 1905 and 1914.
Sir Whitney was born in the area in 1843 and practiced law here through the 1880s. In 1888 he was first elected to the Ontario legislature and became leader of the Conservative Party in 1896. In the 1905 election, he led the Tories to victory for the first time in 33 years by defeating the Liberal government of George William Ross. Whitney received his knighthood in 1908. he died in office shortly after winning the 1914 election.
According to Wikipedia, Whitney's government laid the basis for Ontario's industrial development by creating the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, with Sir Adam Beck as its chairman and driving force. His government also passed significant temperance and workmen's compensation legislation. He also supported the anti-Catholic, anti-French-Canadian sentiments of supporters of the Orange Order in his caucus (such as George Howard Ferguson) by passing Regulation 17. This regulation banned the teaching of French in schools beyond the first three years of school. The measure inflamed French-Canadian opinion across Canada, particularly in Quebec, and split the country as it entered World War I.
Description:
Knighted in 1908, Sir James Whitney was the sixth Premier of the Province of Ontario. A school for the deaf is named in his honour in Belleville, Ontario.
Date of birth: 10/02/1843
Date of death: 09/25/1914
Area of notoriety: Politics
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: dawn to dusk
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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