Harold Joseph Connolly (8 September 1901 – 17 May 1980) was a Canadian journalist, newspaper editor, and politician who served as the 15th premier of Nova Scotia in 1954. Connolly was born in

Sydney, Nova Scotia Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...

, the son of Richard Joseph Connolly and Annie Duffield. He was educated at St. Mary's College. As a newspaperman, he worked for the '' Halifax Chronicle'' before serving as editor of the ''Daily Star''. He was first elected to the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

in a 1936 by-election as a Liberal in

Halifax North Halifax North was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It was formed in 1933 when Halifax County was divided into five distinct electoral districts. In 1966, Halifax N ...

after Gordon Benjamin Isnor was elected to the House of Commons. He was appointed to cabinet in 1941 as Minister of Industry and Publicity. He served as Minister of Industry and Trade from 1945 to 1950, when he became Minister of Public Health. When Premier Angus L. Macdonald died in 1954, Connolly became the province's premier and the Liberal Party's interim leader. He stood for the full-time job in the 1954 leadership convention, but was defeated by Henry Hicks when

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

delegates formed a united front to prevent the election of Connolly, a Catholic. The move caused a severe religious split within the party, which contributed to its defeat two years later at the hands of

Robert Stanfield Robert Lorne Stanfield (April 11, 1914 – December 16, 2003) was a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Nova Scotia from 1956 to 1967 and the leader of the Official Opposition and leader of the Progressive Conservative ...

's Progressive Conservatives. Connolly retired from provincial politics in 1955 when he was elevated to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

for the Halifax North, Nova Scotia division on 28 July 1955 following nomination by Prime Minister

Louis St. Laurent Louis Stephen St. Laurent (; February 1, 1882 – July 25, 1973) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 12th prime minister of Canada from 1948 to 1957. Born and raised in southeastern Quebec, St. Laurent was a leading la ...

. He served until his resignation on 14 May 1979. Connolly was a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps and the Canadian Officers' Training Corps from 1940 to 1945. He married Catherine Burns in 1928; with whom he had 1 daughter, Catherine. He married Vivian Martel after the death of his first wife. He had five more children, Maureen, Dennis, David, Sharon and Patricia. Connolly's daughter

Sharon Carstairs Sharon Carstairs (born April 26, 1942) is a Canadian politician and former Senator. Early life Carstairs was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the daughter of former Nova Scotia Premier and federal Senator Harold Connolly and his wife Vivian. Sh ...

has gone on to have a prominent political career as leader of the

Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party () is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870. History Origins and early development (to 1883) Originally, there were no off ...

and, subsequently, a Liberal senator before retiring from politics in 2011.

References

* ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1948'', PG Normandin *
Entry from the Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Harold 1901 births 1980 deaths Canadian Roman Catholics Canadian people of Irish descent Liberal Party of Canada senators Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs Politicians from Sydney, Nova Scotia Premiers of Nova Scotia Canadian senators from Nova Scotia Canadian newspaper editors Canadian male journalists Ministers of health of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia political party leaders 20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada