1878 - K.C.M.G. (Knight Commander, Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, 1818)
Marital status:
Married, 1870, Annie Affleck (1845-1913)
Two sons, three daughters (four other children died).
Buried:
Holy Cross Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia
John Thompson was a Methodist, but he changed his religion to Roman Catholic when he decided to marry Annie Affleck, who was Roman Catholic. This was an drastic undertaking, for by doing so, John Thompson jeopardized the success of his law practice. Although his law career did not suffer, Thompson's decision to become Roman Catholic almost cost him the opportunity to become Prime Minister.
Thompson was the most favoured candidate within the Liberal Conservative caucus when he became Prime Minister, but the power base of the Party was for the most part Protestant. Thompson had turned down the Party leadership when MacDonald died in 1891, for he knew that life and politics in 19th century Canada were very much dictated by religious affiliation.
As an Alderman for the City of Halifax, he worked with the provincial government to create a single school system (1865), thereby eliminating from Nova Scotia the contentious religious education issues that plagued other provinces. Thompson also distinguished himself by his ability to interpret and bring order to legislation. During his career, he created a charter for the City of Halifax. After having served as an MLA and briefly as Premier in Nova Scotia, he authored the Judicature Act (1884) of Nova Scotia. As a Member of Parliament he introduced the Criminal Code (1892) of Canada. He also impressed the British with his work on the Atlantic fishing dispute of 1887, and was knighted for his efforts.
In 1892, when Thompson became Prime Minister, the Manitoba Schools Question was before the cabinet. The issue was whether Catholics had the right to establish their own government-funded schools as was guaranteed under the Manitoba Act (1870). The Government of Manitoba had passed legislation in 1890 which denied funding to Catholic school boards. The case had gone to the Privy Council, and by 1892 it was determined that Liberal Government of Manitoba had the right to deny funding to the minority Catholics. Knowing that, as a Roman Catholic and a Conservative, he could not be seen to make a fair decision, Thompson deferred making a decision. He asked the Privy Council to determine whether Ottawa could legally intervene. This decision took two more years.
Thompson never made a decision on the Schools Question because he died before the Privy Council ruled on the issue. Just hours after being sworn into the United Kingdom Privy Council, he suffered a fatal heart attack at Winsdor Castle.
