Conservative parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)
Encyclopedia
For the modern Conservative Party see Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Conservative Party of Newfoundland was a political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland
prior to confederation
with Canada
in 1949.
The party was formed by members and supporters of the establishment. In the 1840s they opposed the proposal for responsible government
which was finally granted in 1855. Since the concept was opposed generally by members of the Anglican establishment, the early party was almost entirely Protestant. As politics in Newfoundland developed along sectarian lines, the Conservatives became the Protestant party (with strong links to the Orange Order
), while the Liberals were the Catholic
party.
Under Sir Frederick Carter the Conservatives supported joining Canadian confederation
, and campaigned on the proposal in the 1869 general election
. The party was badly defeated by Charles Fox Bennett
's Anti-Confederation Party
. The Conservatives returned to power in 1874, but never proposed joining Canada
again.
The Conservative party later absorbed the rival Liberals, putting an end to sectarian divisions with a 'denominational compromise'.
The united party collapsed in the 1880s when members of the Orange Order abandoned the government of William Whiteway
, and formed a new Reform Party under Robert Thorburn
. The Reform Party won the 1885 election on a platform of 'Protestant Rights'.
Whiteway founded a new Liberal Party after the collapse of the Reform Party. Members of the Orange Order formed a new Tory Party, which formed two short-lived administrations in the 1890s before disappearing.
Individual Conservatives were elected as Opposition or United Opposition MHAs before being subsumed into the Newfoundland People's Party
formed by Edward Patrick Morris in 1907 after he resigned from the Liberal
government of Sir Robert Bond
.
In 1924, the Liberal-Conservative-Progressive Party was formed by members of the Liberal-Labour-Progressive party who were largely conservatives and discontented members of the ruling Liberal-Reform Party. This new party won the 1924 general election
, making its leader Walter Stanley Monroe
the new Prime Minister
. In practice, the party was essentially a Tory party.
The party was defeated in 1928 under new leader Frederick C. Alderdice
, but returned to power in 1932 as the United Newfoundland Party
. The UNP ruled for two years until the suspension of responsible government
.
When responsible government was suspended, Newfoundland's status as an independent dominion within the British Empire
was brought to an end. The Government of the United Kingdom
appointed a Commission of Government
to govern Newfoundland, bringing an end to party politics on the island.
Party politics returned to Newfoundland when it joined Canadian confederation
in 1949. At this time, the modern Liberal
and Progressive Conservative
parties were formed. These new parties were unrelated to the parties that existed prior to 1934.
Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
For pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
The Conservative Party of Newfoundland was a political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
prior to confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
with Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1949.
The party was formed by members and supporters of the establishment. In the 1840s they opposed the proposal for responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
which was finally granted in 1855. Since the concept was opposed generally by members of the Anglican establishment, the early party was almost entirely Protestant. As politics in Newfoundland developed along sectarian lines, the Conservatives became the Protestant party (with strong links to the Orange Order
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
), while the Liberals were the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
party.
Under Sir Frederick Carter the Conservatives supported joining Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, and campaigned on the proposal in the 1869 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. The party was badly defeated by Charles Fox Bennett
Charles Fox Bennett
Charles James Fox Bennett was a merchant and politician who successfully fought attempts to take Newfoundland into Canadian confederation. Bennett was a successful businessman and one of the island's richest residents with interests in the fisheries, distillery and brewery industry and shipbuilding...
's Anti-Confederation Party
Anti-Confederation Party
Anti-Confederation was the name used in what is now Atlantic Canada by several parties opposed to Canadian confederation.-Nova Scotia:In Nova Scotia, the "Anti-Confederates" were led by Joseph Howe. They attempted to reverse the colony's decision to join Confederation, which was initially highly...
. The Conservatives returned to power in 1874, but never proposed joining Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
again.
The Conservative party later absorbed the rival Liberals, putting an end to sectarian divisions with a 'denominational compromise'.
The united party collapsed in the 1880s when members of the Orange Order abandoned the government of William Whiteway
William Whiteway
Sir William Vallance Whiteway, QC KCMG was a politician and three time Premier of Newfoundland. Born in England, Whiteway emigrated to the island in 1843 and entered the law in 1852. In 1859 he was elected to the House of Assembly as a member of the Conservative Party of Newfoundland and became a...
, and formed a new Reform Party under Robert Thorburn
Robert Thorburn
Sir Robert Thorburn was a Newfoundland merchant and politician who served as the colony's Premier from 1885 to 1889.Born in Scotland, Thorburn emigrated to Newfoundland in 1852 when he was sixteen...
. The Reform Party won the 1885 election on a platform of 'Protestant Rights'.
Whiteway founded a new Liberal Party after the collapse of the Reform Party. Members of the Orange Order formed a new Tory Party, which formed two short-lived administrations in the 1890s before disappearing.
Individual Conservatives were elected as Opposition or United Opposition MHAs before being subsumed into the Newfoundland People's Party
Newfoundland People's Party
The Newfoundland People's Party was a political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland before it joined Canada.The party was created by Attorney-General Edward Patrick Morris in 1907, when he split from the ruling Liberal Party to found his own political vehicle...
formed by Edward Patrick Morris in 1907 after he resigned from the Liberal
Liberal parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)
For the modern Liberal Party see Liberal Party of Newfoundland and LabradorSeveral earlier groupings functioned in the Dominion of Newfoundland under the name Liberal Party of Newfoundland from the granting of responsible government to the island in the 1850s until its suspension in 1934 when the...
government of Sir Robert Bond
Robert Bond
Sir Robert Bond was the Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1900 to 1909. He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, as the son of merchant John Bond. Bond grew up in St. John's until 1872 when his father died and left the family a good deal of money...
.
In 1924, the Liberal-Conservative-Progressive Party was formed by members of the Liberal-Labour-Progressive party who were largely conservatives and discontented members of the ruling Liberal-Reform Party. This new party won the 1924 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, making its leader Walter Stanley Monroe
Walter Stanley Monroe
Walter Stanley Monroe was a businessman and conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1924 to 1928 as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party....
the new Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. In practice, the party was essentially a Tory party.
The party was defeated in 1928 under new leader Frederick C. Alderdice
Frederick C. Alderdice
Frederick Charles Alderdice was a businessman, politician and the last Prime Minister of Newfoundland. A prominent St...
, but returned to power in 1932 as the United Newfoundland Party
United Newfoundland Party
The United Newfoundland Party was the name of a conservative party in the Dominion of Newfoundland led by Frederick C. Alderdice from 1928 to 1934. It was organized by Alderdice when disaffected Liberals joined his Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party sitting in Opposition and won the 1932...
. The UNP ruled for two years until the suspension of responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
.
When responsible government was suspended, Newfoundland's status as an independent dominion within the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
was brought to an end. The Government of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
appointed a Commission of Government
Commission of Government
The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...
to govern Newfoundland, bringing an end to party politics on the island.
Party politics returned to Newfoundland when it joined Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
in 1949. At this time, the modern Liberal
Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and the provincial wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is the Official Opposition and currently holds six seats in the provincial legislature.-Origins:The party originated in...
and Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
For pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
parties were formed. These new parties were unrelated to the parties that existed prior to 1934.
Leaders
- Frederick Carter 1865-1878
- William WhitewayWilliam WhitewaySir William Vallance Whiteway, QC KCMG was a politician and three time Premier of Newfoundland. Born in England, Whiteway emigrated to the island in 1843 and entered the law in 1852. In 1859 he was elected to the House of Assembly as a member of the Conservative Party of Newfoundland and became a...
1878-1885 - Robert ThorburnRobert ThorburnSir Robert Thorburn was a Newfoundland merchant and politician who served as the colony's Premier from 1885 to 1889.Born in Scotland, Thorburn emigrated to Newfoundland in 1852 when he was sixteen...
1885-1889 - as leader of the Reform Party - Augustus F. GoodridgeAugustus F. GoodridgeAugustus Frederick Goodridge was a Newfoundland merchant and politician. Born in Devon, Goodridge arrived in Newfoundland when he was 13 and worked in his father's business and later became a fish merchant in St. John's. A Conservative, he was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1880...
1889-1893 - as leader of the Tory Party - James Spearman WinterJames Spearman WinterSir James Spearman Winter, KCMG was a Newfoundland politician and Premier. Winter served in the Conservative government of Sir William Whiteway as Solicitor-General from 1882 to 1885 when he resigned along with a number of other Protestants as a result of sectarian riots at Harbour Grace...
1893-1900
- Walter Stanley MonroeWalter Stanley MonroeWalter Stanley Monroe was a businessman and conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1924 to 1928 as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party....
1924-1928 - as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party - Frederick C. AlderdiceFrederick C. AlderdiceFrederick Charles Alderdice was a businessman, politician and the last Prime Minister of Newfoundland. A prominent St...
1928 - as leader of the Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party and United Newfoundland PartyUnited Newfoundland PartyThe United Newfoundland Party was the name of a conservative party in the Dominion of Newfoundland led by Frederick C. Alderdice from 1928 to 1934. It was organized by Alderdice when disaffected Liberals joined his Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party sitting in Opposition and won the 1932...
1928-1934
See also
- List of Newfoundland Prime Ministers
- List of political parties in Newfoundland and Labrador
- General elections in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)General elections in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)Newfoundland, as a British colony and dominion, held 29 general elections for its 28 Newfoundland House of Assemblies. In 1934 the Dominion of Newfoundland surrendered its constitution to the Crown and ceased to have a legislature in order to be ruled by London through the Commission of...