Joseph Laurence Black was a businessman and political figure in 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...

, Canada. He represented Westmorland County

Westmorland County, New Brunswick

Westmorland County is located in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. The county contains the fast-growing commercial centre of Moncton as well as its northern and eastern suburbs...

 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...

 from 1878 to 1882 and from 1886 to 1890.

He was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia

Amherst, Nova Scotia

Amherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...

, the son of Josiah Black and Hannah Embree, and was educated there and at Sackville, New Brunswick

Sackville, New Brunswick

Sackville is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town...

. He worked as a clerk in his uncle's store before opening his own general store. He later acquired lumber mills, farmland and a lobster factory. In 1857, he married Jane Humphrey. He married Mary Ann Snowball, the sister of Jabez Bunting Snowball

Jabez Bunting Snowball

Jabez Bunting Snowball was a businessman, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, Canada, and politician from the Town of Chatham, New Brunswick...

, in 1862 after the death of his first wife. In 1863, he was named a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. In the assembly, he supported the construction of the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Railway. Black also served on the executive committee of the board of governors for Mount Allison College

Mount Allison University

Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canadian liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located about a half hour from the regional city of Moncton and 20 minutes from the Greater Moncton International Airport...

. He died of pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

 in Sackville at the age of 78.

His brother Thomas Reuben

Thomas Reuben Black

The Hon. Thomas Reuben Black was a Canadian politician, senator and farmer from Amherst, Nova Scotia.Black was educated at Amherst Academy and purchased the family farm where he was an innovative and progressive manager. He also acquired real estate in his home town demonstrating his commitment to...

served in the Nova Scotia assembly and the Canadian senate.