Sir William Vallance Whiteway, (April 1, 1828 – June 24, 1908) was a Newfoundlander politician who was a three time
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 ...
of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
.
Life and career
Born in
Littlehempston,
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, Whiteway emigrated to Newfoundland in 1843 and entered the law in 1852. In 1859 he was elected to the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...
as a member of the
Conservative Party of Newfoundland and became a supporter of
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...
. He lost his seat in the 1869 election on confederation but returned in 1874 and served as
Solicitor-General
A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...
in the government of Sir
Frederick Carter
Sir Frederick Bowker Terrington Carter, (February 12, 1819 – March 1, 1900) was a lawyer and Premier of Newfoundland from 1865 to 1870 and from 1874 to 1878.
Career
Carter was the son of Peter Weston Carter''Volume one, p. 363, Encyclopedi ...
before becoming Premier in 1878 when he succeeded Carter as leader of the Conservatives. He was made a
Queen's Counsel
A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
in 1865. While serving as Solicitor-General, Whiteway was one of the counsel representing the British Government before the
Halifax Fisheries Commission, which adjudicated a dispute over north Atlantic fishing rights between the British Empire and the United States. The Commission gave an award of $5,500,000 to be paid by the United States to the British Government. Newfoundland received $1,000,000 as its share of the award.
Whiteway's major policy ambition was the construction of the
transinsular railway spanning the island which was begun in 1881 and which he believed would spur economic development of the colony. In 1885 his Conservative party was destroyed by sectarian riots, known as
The Harbour Grace Affray, at
Harbour Grace
Harbour Grace is a town in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. With roots dating back to the 16th century, it is one of the oldest towns in North America.
It is located about northwest of ...
which resulted in several
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 ...
s leaving the Whiteway government in protest over its conciliatory attitude towards
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
s. Leading the dissenters was
James Spearman Winter, Whiteway's Solicitor-General and grand master of Newfoundland's
Orange Order
The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...
.
The Orangemen joined with
Robert Thorburn, an opponent of Whiteway's railway who felt that the
colony
A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...
should focus on the fishery, to form the ''Reform Party'' and win the 1885 election on a ''Protestant Rights'' platform.
In
Opposition Whiteway founded a new
Liberal Party of Newfoundland
The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is one of the three parties currently represented in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, and one of two t ...
which won office in 1889 returning Whiteway as Premier on the issue of the railway. His government was forced to resign in 1894, however, due to allegations of electoral corruption in the previous year's election.
The Tories had argued that Whiteway's Liberals had promised jobs to Newfoundlanders who voted for him and filed petitions in the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
under the ''Corrupt Practices Act'' against fifteen Liberal members of the House alleging bribery and corruption. The members were tried and found guilty and their seats were declared vacant. On April 3, 1894, while the trials were still underway, Whiteway asked
Governor of Newfoundland
The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the monarch, who Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Cana ...
Sir
Herbert Murray to dissolve the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...
for a new election. The Governor refused and asked the Tory leader,
Augustus F. Goodridge to form a government despite the fact that the Tories had only 12 seats to 21 for the Liberals. As Liberal seats were declared vacant due to guilty verdicts the standings in the House at the end of the process in August were 8 Conservatives, 9 Liberals and 19 vacancies. Whiteway himself had been found guilty, his seat declared vacant, and under the provisions of the law, he was barred from seeking election to the House of Assembly or sitting in government.
The Governor enabled Goodridge to remain in office by continually
proroguing the House in order to prevent the government's fall through a
Motion of No Confidence
A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
.
By-elections were held throughout the fall in which the Liberals retained the seats they had been disbarred from, losing just two, while picking up two from the Conservatives in return. The last by-election was held on November 12, 1894, a full year after the general election. In the interim, 21 by-elections had been held, resulting in a virtual return to the status quo.
Goodridge remained as premier until December 12, 1894, two days after the failure of two banks crippled the economy.
Daniel J. Greene, acting Liberal leader, was sworn in as premier the next day.
His government passed the ''Disabilities Removal Act'', which allowed all those members who had been disqualified to run as candidates as well as sit in government. Greene then resigned so that Whiteway could be sworn in as premier for a third time. In the face of Newfoundland's financial crisis following the bank crash, Whiteway's government began a new round of negotiations with Canada to bring Newfoundland into confederation but the discussions were unsuccessful.
Whiteway's Liberals lost the 1897 election, resulting in his retirement from politics. He was succeeded as Liberal leader by Sir
Robert Bond
Sir Robert Bond (25 February 1857 – 16 March 1927) was a Newfoundlander politician who was the last Premier of Newfoundland Colony from 1900 to 1907 and the first prime minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1907 to 1909 after the ...
.
Family
The Hon. William Vallance Whiteway, Q.C., married as his second wife, October 22, 1872, Catherine Anne Davies, daughter of W. H. Davies, of
Pictou, Nova Scotia
Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'' Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk: ''Piktuk'') is a town in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Pictou County, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pict ...
. The couple, who resided at Riverview,
St. John's, Newfoundland had three sons and three daughters. One daughter, Harriet Louise Whiteway, married, June 2, 1897, Peers Davidson, son of the Hon. Mr. Justice Davidson, Montreal.
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteway, William
1828 births
1908 deaths
Canadian Anglicans
English emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland
Premiers of Newfoundland Colony
Speakers of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
Canadian King's Counsel
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Canadian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
19th-century members of the Newfoundland House of Assembly