Robert Atkinson Davis
Encyclopedia
Robert Atkinson Davis was a businessman and Manitoba
politician who served as the fourth Premier of Manitoba
.
Davis was born in Dudswell
, in the eastern townships of Lower Canada
(now Quebec
). As a young man, he worked in the mining fields of the US Rockies. He moved to Red River
on 10 May 1870, and reportedly had a friendly meeting with Louis Riel
shortly before the end of the Red River Rebellion
. This meeting took place after Davis swam across the Red River to where Riel was hiding, called out to the guards in French, and the entire meeting took place in French as Davis was bilingual. Davis purchased a hotel in September 1870. This investment proved very profitable, and he was soon able to open several other stores in Winnipeg.
Davis assumed a significant role in Manitoba politics after the death of his first wife in 1872. He emerged as a spokesman for the province's recent Ontario
immigrants, who opposed the Hudson's Bay Company
's monopoly on transportation and opposed the continued prominence of the Métis
in Manitoba politics.
Davis challenged HBC commissioner Donald Alexander Smith for the Presidency of the Provincial Agricultural Association in 1872. He lost this race, but was elected to both the Protestant school board and the new Winnipeg Board of Trade in February 1873. Davis also helped create the Manitoba society called "The Grange" in 1874.
In April 1874, Davis won a by-election to the provincial legislature for the riding of Winnipeg & St. Johns (replacing Smith, who had resigned). He soon emerged as leading figure in the opposition, and on July 2, 1874 supported a non-confidence motion which brought down the government. The next day, Marc-Amable Girard
was called to lead a ministry based on principles of "responsible government". Davis became the Provincial Treasurer
, and sought to achieve debt elimination and "better terms" from Ottawa.
The Girard government fell apart in November-December 1874 as a result of ethnic tensions. Davis, the only minister not to resign during this crisis, was called upon to form a new government. Like his predecessors, he recognized the importance of demographic balance and appointed French-Canadian Joseph Royal
as his Provincial Secretary
.
Davis was re-elected for Winnipeg in Manitoba's second general election (December 30, 1874), defeating Thomas Scott (not to be confused with the Thomas Scott
executed by Louis Riel's provisional government) by 198 votes to 183. His ministry won the support of the "French party", but did not attain an overall majority in parliament until Davis formed a new alliance with former minister John Norquay
. The Davis government was primarily opposed by the anglophone allies of John Christian Schultz
, who were led in parliament by Orangeman Francis Cornish
. Through his alliance with Royal, Davis could count on support from the "French party" throughout his term in office.
As Premier, Davis continued his policy of debt reduction (for which he attained an increased Federal subsidy), and convinced the unelected Legislative Council
to vote itself out of existence in January 1876. He supported a proposal that the planned transcontinental railway run through Winnipeg rather than Selkirk
. After John A. Macdonald
was re-elected as Canada's Prime Minister
in 1878, this change was accomplished.
Davis resigned as Premier in 1878, and subsequently became a successful businessman in Chicago
. He argued in favour of Canada-US free trade in 1883, and spent much of the 1890s travelling on the profits of his business. He died of Bright's Disease
in 1903 in Phoenix, Arizona
.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
politician who served as the fourth Premier of Manitoba
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
.
Davis was born in Dudswell
Dudswell, Quebec
Dudswell is a municipality of 1,600 people in Le Haut-Saint-François Regional County Municipality, in Quebec, Canada....
, in the eastern townships of Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
(now Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
). As a young man, he worked in the mining fields of the US Rockies. He moved to Red River
Red River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. It is significant in the geography of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba for its relatively fertile lands and the population centers of Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, and Winnipeg...
on 10 May 1870, and reportedly had a friendly meeting with Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
shortly before the end of the Red River Rebellion
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
. This meeting took place after Davis swam across the Red River to where Riel was hiding, called out to the guards in French, and the entire meeting took place in French as Davis was bilingual. Davis purchased a hotel in September 1870. This investment proved very profitable, and he was soon able to open several other stores in Winnipeg.
Davis assumed a significant role in Manitoba politics after the death of his first wife in 1872. He emerged as a spokesman for the province's recent Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
immigrants, who opposed the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
's monopoly on transportation and opposed the continued prominence of the Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
in Manitoba politics.
Davis challenged HBC commissioner Donald Alexander Smith for the Presidency of the Provincial Agricultural Association in 1872. He lost this race, but was elected to both the Protestant school board and the new Winnipeg Board of Trade in February 1873. Davis also helped create the Manitoba society called "The Grange" in 1874.
In April 1874, Davis won a by-election to the provincial legislature for the riding of Winnipeg & St. Johns (replacing Smith, who had resigned). He soon emerged as leading figure in the opposition, and on July 2, 1874 supported a non-confidence motion which brought down the government. The next day, Marc-Amable Girard
Marc-Amable Girard
Marc-Amable Girard was the second Premier of the Western Canadian province of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post. The Canadian Parliamentary Guide lists Girard as having been Premier from 1871 to 1872, but he did not have this title at the time and was not the government...
was called to lead a ministry based on principles of "responsible government". Davis became the Provincial Treasurer
Provincial Treasurer
In Canadian politics the Provincial Treasurer is a senior protfolio in the Executive Council of provincial governments. The position is the provincial equivalent of the Minister of Finance and is responsible for setting the provincial budget. In most provinces the title of the position has changed...
, and sought to achieve debt elimination and "better terms" from Ottawa.
The Girard government fell apart in November-December 1874 as a result of ethnic tensions. Davis, the only minister not to resign during this crisis, was called upon to form a new government. Like his predecessors, he recognized the importance of demographic balance and appointed French-Canadian Joseph Royal
Joseph Royal
Joseph Royal was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician, businessman, and Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories.-Early life and career:...
as his Provincial Secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
.
Davis was re-elected for Winnipeg in Manitoba's second general election (December 30, 1874), defeating Thomas Scott (not to be confused with the Thomas Scott
Thomas Scott (Orangeman)
Thomas Scott was an Irish-born Canadian executed by firing squad on March 4, 1870, for plotting against the Provisional Government of the Red River Settlement and its Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia...
executed by Louis Riel's provisional government) by 198 votes to 183. His ministry won the support of the "French party", but did not attain an overall majority in parliament until Davis formed a new alliance with former minister John Norquay
John Norquay
John Norquay was the Premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region....
. The Davis government was primarily opposed by the anglophone allies of John Christian Schultz
John Christian Schultz
Sir John Christian Schultz, KCMG was a Manitoba politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1882, a Senator from 1882 to 1888, and the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1888 to 1895.Schultz was born in Amherstburg, Upper Canada...
, who were led in parliament by Orangeman Francis Cornish
Francis Evans Cornish
Francis Evans Cornish, QC was a politician in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. He served as Mayor of London, Ontario, in the early 1860s, became the first Mayor of Winnipeg in 1874, and was for a time a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.Cornish was born in London,...
. Through his alliance with Royal, Davis could count on support from the "French party" throughout his term in office.
As Premier, Davis continued his policy of debt reduction (for which he attained an increased Federal subsidy), and convinced the unelected Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
to vote itself out of existence in January 1876. He supported a proposal that the planned transcontinental railway run through Winnipeg rather than Selkirk
Selkirk, Manitoba
Selkirk is a city in the western Canadian province of Manitoba, located about 22 km northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg on the Red River, near . As of the 2006 census, Selkirk had a population of 9,515....
. After 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...
was re-elected as Canada's 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 1878, this change was accomplished.
Davis resigned as Premier in 1878, and subsequently became a successful businessman in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He argued in favour of Canada-US free trade in 1883, and spent much of the 1890s travelling on the profits of his business. He died of Bright's Disease
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. The term is no longer used, as diseases are now classified according to their more fully understood causes....
in 1903 in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.