Francis Henry Keefer, (24 July 1860 – 4 December 1928) was a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
lawyer and politician.
Life
Born in
Strathroy,
Canada West
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 ...
, the son of James Keefer and Maria Cook, studied at the Strathroy Grammar School and
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...
before receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1881, a Master of Arts degree in 1882, and a Bachelor of Laws in 1882 all from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
.
In 1883, he moved to Prince Arthur's Landing (now
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...
) and was called to the Bar in 1884. He practiced law with his brother Thomas Alexander Keefer (c1850-1893). He was created a federal
Queen's Counsel
A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
in July 1896 and a provincial King's Counsel in January 1908.
He first ran unsuccessfully for the Canadian House of Commons as the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
candidate for the riding of
Thunder Bay and Rainy River in the
1908 federal election. He was elected for
Port Arthur and Kenora as the
Unionist candidate in the
1917 election and was defeated in
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
. Keefer served as Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for External Affairs from November 1918 to July 1920.
Keefer also served municipally, as solicitor and counsel in Port Arthur from 1889 to 1910. At various times he acted as Crown Counsel in the Thunder Bay district.
He was a persistent advocate of deep waterways on the Great Lakes, later known as the
St Lawrence Seaway and was the Canadian government's watchdog on international water questions such as water levels on the Great Lakes and
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...
, and the
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). The river is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chic ...
water diversion. He also did legal work for the
International Joint Commission.
Keefer married Annie Frances Daby in 1884. After her death in 1915, Keefer married Margaret Wilhelmina Keefer (her father's surname was identical).
He was elected as the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
candidate 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 the
1923 provincial election for the riding of
Port Arthur and served until November 1926. He lost the Conservative nomination to the younger and more politically astute
Donald McDonald Hogarth. Ontario premier G.
Howard Ferguson appointed Keefer
Public Trustee
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
of Ontario in April 1928, but Keefer died in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
following a heart attack in December that year.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keefer, Francis
1860 births
1928 deaths
Canadian King's Counsel
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
People from Strathroy-Caradoc
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs
Unionist Party (Canada) MPs
University of Toronto alumni
Upper Canada College alumni
20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada