John Pickard was a New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

 businessman and political figure. He represented York

York (electoral district)

York was a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917.It was created as part of the British North America Act in 1867. It consisted of the County of York...

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 as an Independent Liberal from 1868 to 1883.

He was born in Douglas, New Brunswick

Douglas, New Brunswick

Douglas is a Canadian suburban community in York County, New Brunswick.Located on the east bank of the Saint John River, Douglas developed as a farming community but has witnessed two residential subdivisions developed in recent decades, largely for residents commuting to Fredericton.Canadian...

 in 1824 and began work with his father there. He later established himself as a merchant in Fredericton

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...

 and a lumber merchant in York County

York County, New Brunswick

York County is located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county contains the provincial capital, Fredericton. Outside the city, farming and forestry are two major industries in the county, which is bisected by the Saint John River...

. In partnership with Thomas Temple, he owned and operated a sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

 at Fredericton. He helped found the People's Bank of New Brunswick in 1864 and a director of the New Brunswick Railway

New Brunswick Railway

The New Brunswick Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in western New Brunswick. Its headquarters were in Woodstock.The original NBR lines were built to the narrow gauge of...

. In 1865, he ran against Charles Fisher in York as an opponent of 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 was defeated. He was elected to represent York in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is located in Fredericton. It was established de jure when the colony was created in 1784, but only came in to session in 1786 following the first elections in late 1785. Until 1891, it was the lower house in a bicameral legislature when its upper house...

 in an 1867 by-election after Fisher ran for a seat in the House of Commons. When Fisher was appointed judge, Pickard was elected to the federal parliament in an 1868 by-election. He supported Alexander Mackenzie

Alexander Mackenzie

Alexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...

during Mackenzie's term as prime minister.

He died in Fredericton in 1883.