John Kent
Encyclopedia
Kent was born in Wexford
, Ireland
in 1805, arrived in Newfoundland in 1820 and started working for his uncle Patrick Morris
. He was influential in establishing a large Irish population on the island. He was elected to the first House of Assembly in 1832 as a Liberal. John Kent was a champion of Catholic
rights on an island that was deeply divided along religious lines. He worked for the reform movement along with William Carson
and Morris that successfully persuaded the British Colonial Office
to institute responsible government
in Newfoundland. Kent became Colonial Secretary under Philip Francis Little
.
From 1848 to 1855 he was Speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly
.
He became Premier after Little resigned in 1858. He won the election of 1859 but his government was engulfed by crisis in 1861 when it tried to lower the salary of (mostly Protestant) government officials, including judges who sued the government. In the legislature
Kent accused Governor
Sir Alexander Bannerman
and the opposition Conservatives of conspiring with the judges against the government. Bannerman responded by dismissing the Kent's government and installing Hugh Hoyles
as Premier of a Conservative government.
The Liberals defeated the Conservative government in a Motion of No Confidence
resulting in an election campaign that was fought along sectarian lines with Catholic
s largely voting Liberal and Protestants largely voting Conservative. The Protestant Conservative Party of Newfoundland narrowly defeated Kent's Liberals and riots erupted in Catholic Harbour Grace when the governor cancelled voting there essentially denying the Liberals two seats in the legislature and allowing the Conservatives to have a legislative majority.
Kent later joined Sir Frederick Carter's coalition government
that attempted to heal the rifts and create a cross denominational compromise that allowed power sharing between Catholics and Protestants, the funding of all denominational schools and the creation of political parties that included members of all denominations.
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1805, arrived in Newfoundland in 1820 and started working for his uncle Patrick Morris
Patrick Morris (merchant)
Patrick Morris was an Irish-born merchant, ship owner, farmer, author and politician in Newfoundland. He represented St. John's in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1836 to 1840....
. He was influential in establishing a large Irish population on the island. He was elected to the first House of Assembly in 1832 as a Liberal. John Kent was a champion of 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"...
rights on an island that was deeply divided along religious lines. He worked for the reform movement along with William Carson
William Carson
Sir William Carson , often called "The Great Reformer", was an important doctor and businessman in Newfoundland. Carson's primary contribution to Newfoundland was the application of modern agricultural principles....
and Morris that successfully persuaded the British Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
to institute 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...
in Newfoundland. Kent became Colonial Secretary under Philip Francis Little
Philip Francis Little
Philip Francis Little was the first Premier of Newfoundland Colony between 1855 and 1858. He was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Little studied law there with Charles Young and was admitted to the bar in 1844. He came to Newfoundland in 1846 and articled in law. He got involved in...
.
From 1848 to 1855 he was Speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly
Speaker of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Speaker of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador is the presiding officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.The current Speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is Ross Wiseman, who was uncontested for the role following the 2011 General...
.
He became Premier after Little resigned in 1858. He won the election of 1859 but his government was engulfed by crisis in 1861 when it tried to lower the salary of (mostly Protestant) government officials, including judges who sued the government. In the legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
Kent accused Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Sir Alexander Bannerman
Alexander Bannerman
Sir Alexander Bannerman was a British merchant, vintner, politician and colonial governor.-Background:...
and the opposition Conservatives of conspiring with the judges against the government. Bannerman responded by dismissing the Kent's government and installing Hugh Hoyles
Hugh Hoyles
Sir Hugh Hoyles was a politician and lawyer who served as the third premier of the Newfoundland Colony. Hoyles was the first premier of Newfoundland to have been born in the colony, and served from 1861 to 1865. Born in St...
as Premier of a Conservative government.
The Liberals defeated the Conservative government in a Motion of No Confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
resulting in an election campaign that was fought along sectarian lines with 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"...
s largely voting Liberal and Protestants largely voting Conservative. The Protestant Conservative Party of Newfoundland narrowly defeated Kent's Liberals and riots erupted in Catholic Harbour Grace when the governor cancelled voting there essentially denying the Liberals two seats in the legislature and allowing the Conservatives to have a legislative majority.
Kent later joined Sir Frederick Carter's coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
that attempted to heal the rifts and create a cross denominational compromise that allowed power sharing between Catholics and Protestants, the funding of all denominational schools and the creation of political parties that included members of all denominations.