Alpheus Todd (July 30, 1821 – January 22, 1884) was an English-born Canadian librarian and

constitutional historian Constitutional history is the area of historical study covering both written constitutions and uncodified constitutions, and became an academic discipline during the 19th century. ''The Oxford Companion to Law'' (1980) defined it as the study of the ...

, most notable for his publications on

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

ary

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...

.H. R. Tedder, 'Todd, Alpheus (1821–1884)', rev. Elizabeth Baigent, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 200
accessed 23 Feb 2007

Life

Todd was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, the son of an author, Henry Cooke Todd. His family emigrated to

York, Upper Canada York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for the capital ...

in 1833. The following year, York was incorporated as the city of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

; Todd, though young, produced an ''Engraved Plan of the City of Toronto'', which brought him to the attention of the prominent lawyer,

Robert Baldwin Sullivan Robert Baldwin Sullivan, (May 24, 1802 – April 14, 1853), was an Irish-Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician who became the second Mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada. Career In 1835, he was elected to Toronto City Council of the year-old cit ...

. In 1835, Sullivan helped Todd obtain employment in the library of the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gover ...

of Upper Canada; in 1836 he became assistant librarian. Drawing on his experience in the House of Assembly's library and a keen interest in British parliamentary practice and its application in Canada and other British colonies, Todd published ''The Practice and Privileges of the Two Houses of Parliament'' in 1840. When, in 1841, Upper and Lower Canada were

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

, Todd was appointed assistant librarian to the Legislative Assembly of the united province, which adopted his ''Practice and Privileges'' as an official guide for members. On March 31, 1856 Todd became chief librarian of the Assembly. Upon

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

in 1867, he was appointed librarian to the Dominion Parliament, a position he would hold until his death. Beginning in 1867, he wrote and published his most important work, ''On Parliamentary Government in England'', an epic two-volume treatise on the British constitution and its conventions, including an examination of parliamentary privilege, and a defence of executive authority and the

Royal Prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in the ...

. The work was widely acclaimed in Britain and across the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, establishing its author as an authority on constitutional matters. The book ran to several editions, and was soon translated into French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Notably, the Parliamentary Library survived "because of the foresight of librarian Alpheus Todd and clerk Connie MacCormac. Todd had insisted to the architect on iron fire doors, and MacCormac ordered the doors to be slammed shut before evacuating.' In the

1881 Birthday Honours The 1881 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to ...

, Todd was created a companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in hono ...

(CMG) on the recommendation of the

Marquess of Lorne A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, and was awarded an honorary LLD by Queen's College, Kingston. He was a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada in 1882. Todd died suddenly at Ottawa on January 22, 1884.

Family

Todd married Sarah Anne St John in 1845. Together, they had one daughter and four sons, one of whom, Arthur Hamlyn Todd, published second editions of his father's two works on Parliamentary Government, and left an unpublished life of him.

Selected works

*
The Practice and Privileges of the Two Houses of Parliament
' (1840) *
Brief Suggestions in Regard to the Formation of Local Governments for Upper and Lower Canada, in Connection with a Federal Union of the British North American Provinces
' (1866) * ''On Parliamentary Government in England'': ** 1867: Vol. 1
1869: Vol. 2
*
1887: Vol. 11889: Vol. 2
*
The Position of a Constitutional Governor under Responsible Government
' (1878) *
On Parliamentary Government in the British Colonies
' (1880)

References

External links

Alpheus Todd biography
at Ex Libris Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Alpheus 1821 births 1884 deaths Canadian legal writers English legal writers Parliamentary Librarians of Canada Canadian librarians Canadian political scientists Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George English emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Librarians from London Immigrants to Upper Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada