Arthur Sturgis Hardy, (December 14, 1837 – June 13, 1901) was a Canadian lawyer and
Liberal politician who served as the fourth
premier of Ontario
The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...
from 1896 to 1899.
Early life
Born in Mount Pleasant,
Brant County, in 1837, Hardy was the son of Russell and Juletta (Sturgis) Hardy,
United Empire Loyalist
United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the governor of Quebec and governor general of the Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North Ameri ...
s. He studied at the
Rockwood Academy in
Rockwood,
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...
, and he became town solicitor for Brantford in 1867, a bencher of the
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; ) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; ), its name was changed by statu ...
in 1875, and a
QC in 1876. On January 19, 1870, he married Mary Morrison, daughter of Judge
Joseph Curran Morrison.
Political career
First elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...
in 1873, he was promoted to the
Cabinet of Sir
Oliver Mowat
Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario ...
in 1877 as
Provincial Secretary. In 1889, as Commissioner of Crown Lands, Hardy established the
Algonquin and
Rondeau provincial parks. Well known for his support of Mowat's liberalism, he was described in ''
Grip'' as a hard-nosed and down-to-earth politician in Mowat's service:
Entering his sixties and having been in government for over twenty years, Hardy lacked the energy and strength to take the government forward or excite the populace when he succeeded Mowat as both Premier and
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
in 1896. Initially reluctant to accept the positions, he said:
Aware of his weakness, he relied heavily on his minister of education,
George William Ross
Sir George William Ross (September 18, 1841 – March 7, 1914) was an educator and politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was the fifth premier of Ontario from 1899 to 1905.
Early life
Born near Nairn, in Middlesex County, Upper Can ...
.
Because there were Liberal governments in both Ottawa and Ontario, Hardy was urged to reassure French-speaking Catholics' concerns over the
Manitoba Schools Question
The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a ...
by appointing
François-Eugène-Alfred Évanturel as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In the
1898 election, Hardy's government was returned with a narrow six seat majority due to the collapse of the agrarian
Patrons of Industry party which had served as the Liberal's allies in the legislature, as well as the rise of Catholic and urban support for the Conservatives under
James Pliny Whitney.
Hardy's most significant—and controversial—achievement occurred in 1898 with passage of an Act providing for all pine cut under licence on crown lands to be sawn into lumber in Canada. Michigan lumbermen sought to have the amendment
disallowed for encroaching on the federal
trade and commerce power, but
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...
's government refused to do so.
Exhausted and needing money, Hardy retired from politics in 1899 and died two years later from appendicitis. Hardy's body was originally interred at Greenwood Cemetery, however 34 years after his death, his son
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
Arthur Charles Hardy had the remains of Hardy, his wife, and their daughter Gladys Mary Starr moved to Farringdon Burial Ground.
Legacy
An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected in
Brantford
Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...
, Ontario, by the province to commemorate Hardy's role in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
's history. On June 25, 2009, a new plaque was unveiled to commemorate Hardy under the initiative of Premiers' Gravesites Program.
Local politicians, guests and family members paid tribute to the former politician. The family included his great-great-great-granddaughter and the children of his great-nephew
Hagood Hardy
Hugh Hagood Hardy, (February 26, 1937 – January 1, 1997) was a Canadian composer, pianist, and vibraphonist. He played mainly jazz and easy listening music. He is best known for the 1975 single, "The Homecoming" from his album of the same ...
.
Electoral history
References
Further reading
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External links
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Arthur Sturgis Hardy fonds Archives of Ontario
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Arthur Sturgis
1837 births
1901 deaths
Premiers of Ontario
Lawyers in Ontario
Canadian King's Counsel
Canadian Anglicans
Leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party
Attorneys general of Ontario
Provincial secretaries of Ontario
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario