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William Edward O'Brien

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William Edward O'Brien
Source: Library and Archives Canada

William Edward O'Brien (March 10, 1831 – December 21, 1914) was a lawyer, farmer, militia officer, editor and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Muskoka and Parry Sound in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to 1896 as a Conservative member.

Biography

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He was born in Thornhill, Upper Canada, the son of Edward G. O'Brien, an immigrant from Ireland, and was educated at Upper Canada College. In 1864, he married Elizabeth Loring, a descendant of United Empire Loyalist Joshua Loring.[1] He was called to the Ontario bar in 1874. O'Brien was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the House of Commons in 1878. An officer in the Canadian Militia, O'Brien was the lieutenant-colonel of the 35th Simcoe Foresters and would command the York and Simcoe Provisional Battalion during the North-West Rebellion of 1885.[2] In 1889, O'Brien introduced a motion in the House of Commons that the Jesuit Estates Act, which had been passed by the Quebec assembly, be struck down by the federal parliament; that motion was defeated.[3] He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1896.

References

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  1. ^ Charles Henry Pope, Loring Genealogy, 1917, pp. 226-7
  2. ^ "Riel Rbellion - 1885". www.porthopehistory.com. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  3. ^ Quebecers, the Roman Catholic Church and the Manitoba School Question: A Chronology, Chronologies of Quebec History, Marionopolis College