Four of Canada's Fathers of Confederation were natives of Amherst and area and are commemorated on Amherst's town hall. They are Edward Chandler, Robert Barry Dickey, Jonathan McCully and one time Prime Minister Sir Charles Tupper. Of the four, Tupper was the only one to serve as Canada's Prime Minister, albeit for only 10 weeks (the shortest term in Canadian history). Tupper also served as Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation.
This is the second plaque to honour Tupper in Amherst, the first having been mounted inside the same building. Another plaque in his honour has been mounted at the Warren Consolidated School in Warren, Nova Scotia.
About three blocks south of the Dominion Public Building, on the west side of Victoria Street, is a dead 21 ft tall Elm tree which has been turned into a large wood carving. It contains the likenesses of the four Amherst Fathers of Confederation. The carving was done by
Bruce Hebert in 2008.
Tupper's plaque reads as follows:
SIR CHARLES TUPPER
1821-1915
Born at Amherst and educated in medicine, Tupper was elected in 1855 to the Nova Scotia Assembly, becoming Premier in 1864. In alliance with John A. Macdonald, he skilfully manoeuvered unwilling Nova Scotians into Confederation. Having held several federal cabinet portfolios he served as High Commissioner to London for eleven years (1884-87 and 1889-96). Returning to politics he entered Bowell's Cabinet in 1896 and soon succeeded him as Prime Minister. When, in that same year, his party was defeated at the polls he became leader of the opposition, a post he held until his personal defeat in 1900. He died in England.
Sir Charles Tupper
Sir Charles Tupper, prime minister, premier of Nova Scotia (1864–67), doctor (born 2 July 1821 in Amherst, NS; died 30 October 1915 in Bexleyheath, England).
Charles Tupper led Nova Scotia into Confederation while he was premier. Over the course of his lengthy political career, he served as a federal Cabinet minister and diplomat, and briefly as prime minister of Canada — his 10-week term is the shortest in Canadian history. He was the last surviving Father of Confederation.
Education and Early Career
Charles Tupper was born on his family’s small farm near Amherst, Nova Scotia. His father, also called Charles, was a Baptist pastor. Largely home-schooled, Tupper’s education was supplemented by grammar school classes. In 1837, he studied at Horton Academy (later Acadia University) in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, focusing on Latin, Greek, French and science. After graduating in 1839, he spent some time teaching in New Brunswick before studying medicine in Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1839–40. Tupper then studied at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, where he earned his medical degree in 1843. He returned to Amherst that year and established a medical practice and drug store.
He married Frances Morse, a descendent of the founders of Amherst, in 1846. The couple had six children.
Political Career
Charles Tupper was encouraged by a family friend and Nova Scotia Conservative party leader James William Johnston to run for a seat in the Nova Scotia Assembly as a Conservative. In 1855, Tupper dramatically unseated Cumberland County’s popular Reform representative, Joseph Howe. While the Conservatives did not fare well in the election, Tupper outlined a new party strategy in caucus that sought to court Nova Scotia’s Roman Catholic minority and bolster railway construction. By 1857, Tupper had convinced disenchanted Roman Catholic Liberals to cross the floor, which reduced the government to a minority. As a result, the Liberals resigned and the Conservatives took power on 14 February 1857. With Johnston as premier, Tupper became provincial secretary...
The Conservative party lost a bitter election in 1859, though Tupper retained his seat. After his party returned to power in 1863, Tupper served as provincial secretary. He became premier of Nova Scotia in May 1864.
Confederation
As premier, Charles Tupper championed both Maritime and British North American union, which he did not feel were incompatible goals. He was a delegate at the Charlottetown, Québec and London Conferences but was unable to win approval for the Québec Resolutions in the Nova Scotia Assembly. He argued that joining Canada would strengthen Nova Scotia’s commercial sector and provide the colony with greater influence in Canada and the broader British Empire.
Post-Confederation Politics
Charles Tupper left provincial politics in 1867 and won a federal seat as the only supporter of Confederation from Nova Scotia. Although his claim for a Cabinet post was strong, he stood aside to allow others from Nova Scotia to enter the ministry — a strategy used to soften anti-Confederation sentiment in the province. Tupper also helped bring about the "better terms" settlement with Joseph Howe. The agreement between Tupper and Howe stipulated that the two men would work together to protect Nova Scotia’s interests in Parliament in exchange for Howe’s support for Confederation. As a result, Howe was given a position in Cabinet in 1870, and Tupper began his long ministerial career. Tupper served successively as president of the Privy Council (1870–72), minister of inland revenue (1872–73) and minister of customs (1873) in the first government of Sir John A. Macdonald.
When the Conservatives returned to office following the Pacific Scandal, Tupper served as minister of public works (1878–79) and minister of railways and canals (1879–84). During this time, construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway was nearing completion. Tupper became high commissioner to the United Kingdom in 1883, but returned to Ottawa to serve as minister of finance (1887–88). Resuming his duties in London, he became known as an outspoken advocate of imperial federation with the United Kingdom. Sir John A. Macdonald was not pleased with Tupper's views, but Tupper’s political standing allowed him immunity from censure.
In January 1896, Tupper was called back to Ottawa to serve as secretary of state in the failing government of Sir Mackenzie Bowell. Having been passed over for the party leadership in favour of John Abbott, John Thompson and Bowell, Tupper finally became prime minister on 1 May 1896. In a desperate attempt to stave off defeat in the House, Tupper and his colleagues introduced remedial legislation to protect the educational rights of the French-speaking minority in Manitoba (see Manitoba Schools Question). The bill was blocked in the Commons.
Tupper and the Conservatives suffered a stunning general election defeat that June, as Québec's returns were decisive. He resigned on 8 July, having served only 10 weeks as prime minister, the shortest tenure in Canadian history. He continued in Parliament as Leader of the Opposition but was defeated in the election of 1900.
From the Canadian Encyclopedia