Bliss Botsford (November 26, 1813 – April 5, 1890) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Westmorland County in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

from 1851 to 1854, from 1856 to 1861 and from 1866 to 1870. He was born in

Sackville, New Brunswick Sackville is a former town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Tantramar, New Brunswick, Tantramar. Sackville is home to Mount Allison University, a primarily undergraduate libe ...

, the son of William Botsford and Sarah Lowell Murray who was the daughter of William Hazen. He studied at King's College in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

but did not receive a degree. Botsford then studied law with William End, was called to the bar in 1838 and set up practice at the Bend of Petitcodiac (incorporated as

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. Th ...

in 1855). In 1842, he married Jane Chapman. Botsford was named mayor of Moncton in 1862 and promptly had the town's incorporation act repealed so that its municipal debt would be spread across the county. Moncton was later incorporated again in 1875 after becoming a major railway centre for the province. Botsford was an opponent of

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

. He served as speaker for the Legislative Assembly from 1867 to 1870 and as a member of the

Executive Council of New Brunswick The Executive Council (Commonwealth countries), Executive Council of New Brunswick (), informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of New Brunswick (), is the Cabinet (government), Cabinet of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provin ...

, was Surveyor General from April 5, 1865 to April 14, 1866. In 1870, Bliss Botsford was named judge for the court for Westmorland and Albert counties. He was also a major in the county militia and an active

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. Botsford died in Moncton at the age of 76 after collapsing while descending a flight of stairs and then falling out through a window.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Botsford, Bliss 1813 births 1890 deaths Lawyers in New Brunswick Judges in New Brunswick 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Mayors of Moncton Canadian people of English descent People from Sackville, New Brunswick 19th-century mayors of places in New Brunswick