Willoughby Staples Brewster
Encyclopedia
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....
lawyer and political figure. He represented Brant South
Brant South
Brant South was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1923....
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1908 to 1914 as a Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
member.
He was born in Haldimand Township
Alnwick/Haldimand, Ontario
Alnwick/Haldimand is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in Northumberland County, situated between Lake Ontario and Rice Lake. It was formed in 2000 by the merger of Alnwick Township in the north and Haldimand Township in the south...
, Northumberland County
Northumberland County, Ontario
Northumberland County is situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in central Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Durham County , west of Hastings, southeast of Kawartha Lakes and south of Peterborough County. The county seat is Cobourg...
, the son of John Brewster, and was educated at Victoria College
Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
in Cobourg
Cobourg, Ontario
Cobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
. He articled in law in Brantford
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
and set up practice there. In 1887, he married Mary L. Horning. In 1898, he married Belle Roberts after the death of his first wife. Brewster served on the town council and the public school board. He was also president of the Brantford Chamber of Commerce. Brewster ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1905. During his time in the assembly, he played an important role in the passing of the Ontario Workmen's Compensation Act. He died in Brantford in 1932.