Hewitt Bernard, (1825 – 24 February 1893) was a Canadian lawyer, militia officer, editor, and civil servant.

Life and career

Bernard was born in

Spanish Town Spanish Town (Jamaican Patois: Spain) is the capital and the largest town in the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica, Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and Briti ...

, Jamaica. He was educated in

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

, England, and practiced law education in Jamaica until the death of his father in 1850. He came to British North America in 1851 to establish himself in law practice and settled in

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

, Ontario, Canada, where he became part of local society. In 1854, he brought his mother and sister Agnes to live with him. About that time, he joined the local militia and eventually gained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Bernard was a

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 ...

of Ionic Lodge, No. 25 (Ontario) of Toronto, resigning when he left to work in Quebec in 1859. Bernard was a successful lawyer and co-editor of the ''Upper Canada Law Journal'' when he became the private secretary of Attorney General John A. Macdonald in 1857. He soon became chief clerk, and he was the recording secretary at the

Charlottetown Conference The Charlottetown Conference (A Conference to discuss the Confederation of Canada) was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, for representatives from colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation. The conference to ...

in 1864. In February 1867, Bernard's sister Agnes married John A. Macdonald, who became the

prime minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

a few months later. Bernard was a very good friend of Macdonald before he became Macdonald's brother-in-law. After

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 ...

, Bernard served as the private secretary to the prime minister between 1867 and 1873. He was also the Deputy Minister of Justice from 1868 to 1876. Bernard was succeeded in that position by Zebulon Aiton Lash. Some historians, such as P. B. Waite, consider Bernard to be a

Father of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conference of 1866 (16 attendees), preceding Canadian ...

. In 1872, he was made 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

References

External links

*
''Ontario Historical Plaques - Hewitt Bernard''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Hewitt 1825 births 1893 deaths 19th-century Canadian journalists 19th-century Canadian lawyers 19th-century Canadian civil servants 19th-century Jamaican lawyers 19th-century Jamaican people 19th-century Canadian male writers Burials at Beechwood Cemetery (Ottawa) Canadian newspaper editors Canadian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian Freemasons Canadian male journalists People from Spanish Town Lawyers in Upper Canada and Canada West Canadian federal deputy ministers