Sir Richard William Scott, (February 24, 1825 – April 23, 1913) was a

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politician and cabinet minister.

Early life

He was born in Prescott, Ontario, in 1825, a descendant of a family from

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. A

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by training, Scott was admitted to the bar in 1848 and established a practice in Bytown (now

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). Among the students who articled in his practice was Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first Premier of Alberta.

Political career

Scott became a member of municipal council in 1851, was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Bytown in 1852, and held a seat in the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the Parliament of the Province of Canada. The Province of Canada consisted of the former province of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East (now Quebec), and Upper Canada ...

from 1857 to 1863. With

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, Scott won a seat in the Ontario legislature as a Liberal representing Ottawa from 1867 to 1871. He was Speaker of the legislature briefly in December 1871 before he was appointed to the provincial cabinet as Commissioner of Crown Lands. Scott played a leading role in passing legislation ensuring the rights of

separate school In Canada, a separate school is a type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan) and statutory status in the three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut). In these Canadian ...

s in

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. In November 1873, he left provincial politics when he was appointed

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

by Alexander Mackenzie in the federal Cabinet. Mackenzie had become prime minister after Sir John A. Macdonald's government had been forced to resign because of the Pacific Scandal. Scott was appointed to the

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by Mackenzie in January 1874 and became Secretary of State for Canada and Leader of the Government in the Senate. A supporter of temperance, he drafted the " Scott Act," which allowed any county or municipality in Canada to prohibit the retail sale of liquor by majority vote. With the defeat of the Liberal government in the 1878 election, Scott became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate until the return of the Liberals to government, under

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

. Scott resumed his old Cabinet position of Secretary of State. Scott retired from the cabinet in 1908 but remained in the Senate until his death in 1913. He was made a knight in 1909 by King Edward VII.

Family

Richard William Scott was married in Philadelphia, Pa., November 8, 1853, to Mary Heron, the daughter of John Heron and Frances, his wife. She was born and educated in

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. The couple had two sons William L. Scott, Local Master in Chancery, and D Arcy Scott, Barrister, Ottawa and four daughters. Before her marriage, Mrs. Scott was a professional singer who toured in Canada and the United States as a member of "The Heron sisters." The couple lived at 274 Daly Avenue, Ottawa. She served on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Women and as a Vice-President of the Local Council.

Electoral history

References

External links