John Alexander Mathieson (May 19, 1863 – January 7, 1947) was a

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

politician and jurist, the 12th

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. Mathieson was born in

Harrington Harrington (or Harington) may refer to: People as a surname * Harrington (surname) People as a forename * Arthur Raikes (Arthur Edward Harington Raikes, 1867–1915), British army officer *Charles Harrington Elster, American writer *Edward Josep ...

and was a graduate of

Prince of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its his ...

. He was a schoolmaster and lawyer before entering politics with his election to the province's

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as a

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in 1900. He represented the district of

4th Kings 4th Kings was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législativ ...

in his first term in the legislature, then shifted to

5th Kings 5th Kings was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative ...

in 1904. Mathieson sat on the

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benches becoming

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and of the Conservative Party in 1903. In December 1911, the Liberal government resigned when

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

H. James Palmer was defeated in a

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which also caused the governing Liberals to lose their majority in the legislature. The

Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward Island The following is a list of the governors and lieutenant governors of Prince Edward Island, known as ''St. John's Island'' until 1799. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Prince Edward Island came into being only upon the ...

asked Mathieson as leader of the opposition to form a government, which he did, going on to win a mandate in the 1912 general election. Mathieson's government pressed the federal government to fulfill the terms on which Prince Edward Island joined

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in 1873. He succeeded in persuading Ottawa to provide an improved annual subsidy to the province and, in 1915, Ottawa announced the creation of a year-round ferry service to connect the island to the mainland. The ferries began operating between PEI and

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

in 1917. The province was also at risk of losing representation in the House of Commons of Canada due to population shifts. PEI had six MPs when it joined confederation in 1873, this was reduced to four and was to be cut further as a result of the 1911 census. Mathieson persuaded the federal government to agree to an amendment to the

British North America Act The British North America Acts 1867–1975 are a series of Acts of Parliament that were at the core of the constitution of Canada. Most were enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and some by the Parliament of Canada. In Canada, some ...

guaranteeing the province a minimum of four MPs in perpetuity. In 1917, Premier Mathieson left politics to accept an appointment as Chief Justice and served in that position until he retired in 1943.

External links

Government of Prince Edward Island biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathieson, John 1863 births 1947 deaths People from Queens County, Prince Edward Island Canadian Presbyterians Premiers of Prince Edward Island Judges in Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island MLAs Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island leaders Prince of Wales College alumni