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William Pugsley

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William Pugsley
Hon. William Pugsley
11th Premier of New Brunswick
In office
March 6, 1907 – May 31, 1907
MonarchEdward VII
Lieutenant GovernorLemuel J. Tweedie
Preceded byLemuel J. Tweedie
Succeeded byClifford W. Robinson
15th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
In office
November 6, 1917 – February 28, 1923
MonarchGeorge V
Governors GeneralThe Duke of Devonshire
The Lord Byng of Vimy
PremierWalter E. Foster
Peter J. Veniot
Preceded byGilbert Ganong
Succeeded byWilliam Frederick Todd
MLA for Kings
In office
July 4, 1885 – October 22, 1892
Preceded byEdwin Arnold Vail
Succeeded byGeorge G. Scovil
In office
February 18, 1899 – March 3, 1908
Preceded byGeorge William Fowler
Succeeded byJames Alexander Murray
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for City and County of St. John
In office
September 18, 1907 – September 21, 1911
Preceded byAlfred Augustus Stockton
Succeeded byJohn Waterhouse Daniel
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for City of St. John
In office
September 21, 1911 – November 6, 1917
Preceded byJohn Waterhouse Daniel
Succeeded byDistrict was abolished in 1914
Personal details
Born(1850-09-27)September 27, 1850
Sussex, New Brunswick, British North America
DiedMarch 3, 1925(1925-03-03) (aged 74)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouses
Frances Jane Parks
(m. 1876; died 1914)
Gertrude Macdonald
(m. 1915)
Children3 sons and 2 daughters
Alma materUniversity of New Brunswick
OccupationLawyer, businessman
ProfessionPolitician

William Pugsley PC KC (September 27, 1850 – March 3, 1925) was a politician and lawyer in New Brunswick, Canada.

Biography

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He was born in Sussex, New Brunswick, the son of William Pugsley, of United Empire Loyalist descent, and Frances Jane Hayward. He was educated at the University of New Brunswick. He studied mathematics, classics, and English and was awarded many scholarships. In his junior year he was the gold medallist of his class. He went on to study law, was admitted to the bar in 1872 and set up practice in Saint John. The University of New Brunswick awarded him a BCL in 1879 and would confer honorary degrees of DCL in 1884 and LL.D in 1918. Pugsley was created a QC on 4 February 1891.

Pugsley, a Liberal, served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Solicitor-General and Attorney-General in various Liberal governments before becoming the 11th premier of New Brunswick in 1907.

He resigned in September of that year to become minister of public works in the federal Liberal government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He served in that position until the government's defeat in the 1911 federal election, but remained as a Member of Parliament (MP) until 1917 when he was appointed the 15th lieutenant governor of New Brunswick. When his term ended in 1923, he was appointed to a federal position in charge of settling war claims, and held that position until his death. Pugsley was staying at King Edward Hotel when he fell ill and died of pneumonia in Toronto in 1925.[1] He was buried in the Fernhill Cemetery in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Electoral record

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By-election on 18 September 1907

On Mr. Stockton's death, 15 March 1907

Party Candidate Votes
Liberal William Pugsley acclaimed
1908 Canadian federal election: City and County of St. John
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal William Pugsley 5,582
Conservative Alexander William MacRae 5,086

References

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  1. ^ "Mr. Pugsley Succumbs". The Lethbridge Herald. March 4, 1925. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved December 27, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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