THE HON. DAVID MILLS 1831 - 1903
A noted cabinet minister and jurist, David Mills was born in a house on the adjacent property, attended a local school, and studied law at the University of Michigan. Elected in 1867 to the Canadian parliament he sat as Liberal member for Bothwell until 1896, serving as minister of the interior, 1876-1878, in the Mackenzie administration, and minister of justice, 1897-1902, under Laurier. An expert in constitutional and international law, he wrote extensively on these subjects and lectured at the University of Toronto. In 1896 he was appointed to the Canadian Senate and in 1902 to the Supreme Court of Canada. He is buried in a nearby cemetery.
From: Wikipedia
David Mills (Canadian politician)
David Mills, PC (March 18, 1831 – May 8, 1903) was a Canadian politician, author, poet and jurist.
He was born in Palmyra, in southwestern Ontario. His father, Nathaniel Mills, was one of the first settlers in the area. Mills served as superintendent of schools for Kent County from 1856 to 1865. He then attended the University of Michigan, graduating with honors in 1867.
He published The Present and Future Political Aspects of Canada in 1860 and The Blunders of the Dominion Government in connection with the North-West Territory in 1871.
Mills was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1867 federal election and re-elected in four subsequent votes until being defeated in the 1882 election.
He returned to Parliament through an 1884 by-election. He was re-elected in subsequent elections until his defeat in the 1896 election despite this being the election that brought the Liberals back to power.
He served as Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet of Alexander Mackenzie from 1876 to 1878. Sir Wilfrid Laurier appointed Mills to the Canadian Senate after he lost his Commons seat in 1896, and appointed him to Cabinet as Minister of Justice and Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate. He resigned from the Senate and Cabinet in 1902. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 8, 1902, and served on the Court for one year until his death in 1903.