Tupper, Sir Charles 6th Prime Minister of Canada Party Leader: May-July 1896 Born: July 2, 1821, Amherst, Nova Scotia Died: October 30, 1915, Bexley Heath, England Education: Horton Academy (Acadia University) University of Edinburgh (Medicine) Edinburgh, Scotland Occupation: 1843 - Physician, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia 1864-1867 - Premier, Nova Scotia 1867-1870 - President (first), Canadian Medical Association Author Knighted: 1879 - K.C.M.G. (Knight Commander, Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, 1818) 1886 - G.C.M.G. (Knight Grand Cross, Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, 1818) 1888 - Baronet of the United Kingdom Marital status: Married, 1846, Frances Morse (1826-1912) Three sons, three daughters. Buried: St. John's Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia Like John A. MacDonald, Charles Tupper had a long and distinguished political career, and he was also a Father of Confederation. He started his professional life as a country doctor in Nova Scotia, but left medicine to run as a Conservative for the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly. In winning, Tupper beat Joseph Howe, the newspaper editor, orator, and Premier of Nova Scotia from 1860-63. Tupper became Premier in 1864, advocating political union with either the Maritime Provinces or all the British North American colonies. As Premier, Tupper participated in the Charlottetown, Quebec and London conferences. He faced opposition, but he did take the province into Confederation in 1867. Tupper left the Nova Scotia legislature in 1867 and entered federal politics for the Liberal Conservatives. He went to Ottawa as the only Member of Parliament from Nova Scotia who favoured Confederation. In Ottawa, he negotiated the settlement which brought Joseph Howe to the cabinet in 1869, thereby effectively eliminating all opposition in Nova Scotia to Confederation and making Tupper one of MacDonald's chief lieutenants. While in Ottawa, Tupper served as President of the Privy Council (1870-72), Minister of Inland Revenue (1872-73), Minister of Customs (1873), and Minister of Public Works (1878-79). He was the Minister of Railways and Canals (1879-84) during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. As Minister, he organized the Department and granted the CPR charter in 1881. In 1884, Tupper was appointed Canada's High Commissioner to London. He returned to Ottawa to serve as Minister of Finance (1887-88), after which he returned to London to resume his duties as High Commissioner. Tupper remained in London until Bowell asked him to be Secretary of State in January of 1896. Tupper was asked to lead the Conservatives when Bowell resigned in April 1896. Parliament was in recess and the writ was issued for an election which would be fought on the Manitoba Schools Question. Tupper was Prime Minister just ten weeks before his Government was defeated by Laurier's Liberals. He remained Leader of the Opposition until 1900 when he was defeated in an election. He then retired from politics and died in England in 1913. Reading: V. Durant (1985) War Horse of Cumberland.