Fathers of Confederation - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Fathers of Confederation are the people who attended the Charlottetown

Charlottetown Conference

The Charlottetown Conference was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation...

and Quebec Conferences

Quebec Conference, 1864

The Quebec Conference was the second meeting held in 1864 to discuss Canadian Confederation.The 16 delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island had agreed at the close of the Charlottetown Conference to meet again at Quebec City October 1864...

in 1864 and the London Conference of 1866

London Conference of 1866

The London Conference was held in the United Kingdom and began on 4 December 1866, and it was the final in a series of conferences or debates that led to Canadian confederation in 1867. Sixteen delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick gathered with officials of the...

in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, preceding 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...

. The following lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at each stage.

There were 36 original Fathers of Confederation. Hewitt Bernard

Hewitt Bernard

Hewitt Bernard, was a Canadian lawyer, militia officer, editor, and civil servant.Hewitt was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, educated in Bath, England and practiced law in Jamaica until the death of his father in 1850. He came to Canada and settled in Barrie, Upper Canada where he became part of...

, who was the recording secretary at the Charlottetown Conference, is considered by some to be a Father of Confederation. The later "Fathers" who brought the other provinces into Confederation after 1867 are also referred to as "Fathers of Confederation." In this way, Amor De Cosmos

Amor De Cosmos

Amor De Cosmos was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second Premier of British Columbia.-Early life:...

who was instrumental both in bringing democracy to British Columbia and in bringing his province into Confederation, is considered by many to be a Father of Confederation. As well, Joey Smallwood

Joey Smallwood

Joseph Roberts "Joey" Smallwood, PC, CC was the main force that brought Newfoundland into the Canadian confederation, and became the first Premier of Newfoundland . As premier, he vigorously promoted economic development, championed the welfare state, and emphasized modernization of education and...

referred to himself as "the Last Father of Confederation", because he helped lead Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949.

Table of participation

Participant	Portrait	Province (Current)	Charlottetown	Quebec City	London
Sir Adams George Archibald Adams George Archibald Sir Adams George Archibald, KCMG, PC was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though he also served as 1st Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1870 to 1872.Archibald was born in Truro to a prominent family in Nova...		Nova Scotia
George Brown George Brown (Canadian politician) George Brown was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation...		Ontario
Sir Alexander Campbell Alexander Campbell (Canadian politician) Sir Alexander Campbell, PC, KCMG, QC was an English-born, Canadian statesman and politician, and a father of Canadian Confederation....		Ontario
Sir Frederick Carter		Newfoundland and Labrador
Sir George-Étienne Cartier George-Étienne Cartier Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet, PC was a French-Canadian statesman and Father of Confederation.The English spelling of the name, George, instead of Georges, the usual French spelling, is explained by his having been named in honour of King George III....		Quebec
Sir Edward Barron Chandler Edward Barron Chandler Edward Barron Chandler was a New Brunswick politician and lawyer from a United Empire Loyalist family. He was one of the Fathers of Confederation....		New Brunswick
Sir Jean-Charles Chapais Jean-Charles Chapais Jean-Charles Chapais, PC was a Canadian Conservative politician, and considered a Father of Canadian Confederation for his participation in the Quebec Conference to determine the form of Canada's government....		Quebec
Sir James Cockburn		Ontario
George Coles George Coles George Coles was a Canadian politician, being the first Premier of Prince Edward Island, and a Father of Canadian Confederation....		Prince Edward Island
Robert B. Dickey Robert B. Dickey Robert Barry Dickey was a participant in conferences leading to the Canadian Confederation of 1867 and is therefore considered to be one of the Fathers of Confederation....		Nova Scotia
Charles Fisher		New Brunswick
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt Alexander Tilloch Galt Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, GCMG, PC was a politician and a father of Canadian Confederation.He was born in Chelsea, England, the son of Scottish novelist and colonizer, John Galt, and Elizabeth Tilloch Galt. He was a cousin of Sir Hugh Allan.Alexander Galt is interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery...		Quebec
Sir John Hamilton Gray		Prince Edward Island
Sir John Hamilton Gray		New Brunswick
Sir Thomas Heath Haviland Thomas Heath Haviland Thomas Heath Haviland was a Canadian lawyer, politician and father of Canadian Confederation. He was born and died in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...		Prince Edward Island
William Alexander Henry William Alexander Henry William Alexander Henry was a Canadian lawyer, politician, judge and one of the Fathers of Confederation....		Nova Scotia
Sir William Pearce Howland		Ontario
John Mercer Johnson John Mercer Johnson John Mercer Johnson was a politician in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada and a Father of Confederation. He represented Northumberland in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1868 as a Liberal member....		New Brunswick
Sir Hector-Louis Langevin Hector-Louis Langevin Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, PC, KCMG, CB, QC was a Canadian lawyer, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation....		Quebec
Andrew Archibald Macdonald Andrew Archibald Macdonald Andrew Archibald Macdonald, PC , was the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1 August 1884 to 2 September 1889, was one of the fathers of Canadian Confederation....		Prince Edward Island
Sir John A. Macdonald John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...		Ontario
Jonathan McCully Jonathan McCully Jonathan McCully was a participant at the Confederation conferences at Charlottetown, Quebec City, and in London, and is thus considered one of the Fathers of Canadian Confederation. He did much to promote union through newspaper editorials. For his efforts, he received a Senate appointment...		Nova Scotia
William McDougall William McDougall (politician) Sir William McDougall PC CB was a Canadian lawyer, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.Born near York, Upper Canada...		Ontario
Thomas D'Arcy McGee		Quebec
Peter Mitchell Peter Mitchell (politician) Peter Mitchell, PC was a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.Mitchell ran again in 1856 as an opponent of prohibition, which had been proposed by the government. He carried a pistol for protection during the campaign and rum for his supporters. He was successful in this...		New Brunswick
Sir Oliver Mowat Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat, was a Canadian politician, and the third Premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896, making him the longest serving premier of that province and the 3rd longest in all of Canadian history...		Ontario
Edward Palmer		Prince Edward Island
William Henry Pope		Prince Edward Island
John William Ritchie John William Ritchie John William Gianni was a Canadian lawyer and politician from Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Gianni was the son of Thomas Ritchie and Elizabeth Wildman Johnston. He studied law with his uncle James William Johnston and was admitted to the bar in 1831...		Nova Scotia
Sir Ambrose Shea Ambrose Shea Sir Ambrose Shea, KCMG , from Newfoundland was a political and business figure in Colonial Newfoundland and later served as Governor of the Bahamas. He was one of two Newfoundland delegates to the Québec Conference that led to Canadian confederation.Shea was born in St. John's, Newfoundland...		Newfoundland and Labrador
William H. Steeves		New Brunswick
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché Étienne-Paschal Taché Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché was a Canadian doctor, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.Born in St. Thomas, Lower Canada, in 1795, the third son of Charles Taché and Geneviève Michon, Taché studied at the Séminaire de Québec until the War of 1812 when he joined the 5th battalion of the...		Quebec
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley Samuel Leonard Tilley Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation. Tilley was descended from United Empire Loyalists on both sides of his family...		New Brunswick
Sir Charles Tupper Charles Tupper Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...		Nova Scotia
Edward Whelan Edward Whelan Edward Whelan . Edward Whelan was one of Prince Edward Island's delegates to the Québec Conference and one of the Fathers of the Canadian Confederation. Edward Whelan was also a journalist, orator, and advocate for responsible government.-Early years:Edward Whelan was born in 1824 in Ballina,...		Prince Edward Island
Robert Duncan Wilmot		New Brunswick