Michael Joseph Power (February 23, 1834 – January 11, 1895) was a businessman and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

, Canada. He represented Halifax County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia Each General Assembly of the ...

from 1882 to 1894 as a Liberal member. He was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, the son of Michael Power and Anne Lonergan. After studying at the Union Academy in Halifax, he apprenticed as a printer with the ''Acadian Recorder''. Power worked in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

for a time before returning to Halifax. In 1860, he married Ann Sophia Kent. He opened a liquor retail business and then was a grocer. Power was a captain in the militia and served as a member of Halifax city council and chairman of the board of works. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1878. Power served as speaker for the provincial assembly from 1887 to 1894. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1894. Power died in Halifax at the age of 60 after suffering from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanie ...

for some time.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Michael J 1834 births 1895 deaths Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs Speakers of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly