Kingston Ontario Book 4 in Colour Photos

Sir Oliver Mowat (1820-1903) was born in Kingston. He studied law under Sir John A. Macdonald. After moving to Toronto in 1840, he was elected a Liberal member of the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1857. He served as provincial secretary in 1858 and postmaster general from 1863-64. He took part in the Quebec Conference of 1864 which led to Confederation in 1867. Mowat became Ontario's third premier in 1872 and served in this capacity for almost twenty-four years. In 1896, Mowat accepted a seat in the Senate and became Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He was the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (1897-1903) and one of the Fathers of Confederation. He is best known for successfully defending the constitutional rights of the provinces in the face of the centralizing tendency of the national government as represented by his longtime conservative adversary, John A. Macdonald. His longevity and power was due to his astute political maneuvering in terms of building a political base around Liberals, Catholics, trade unions, and Anglophones distrustful of Quebec. Portsmouth Village was founded in 1784 by United Empire Loyalists. It began to grow with the establishment of Kingston Penitentiary nearby in 1833. A town hall was created in 1865 and is used today by various special interest clubs. The shoreline was soon home to numerous tanneries; breweries, including Molson and Labatt; shipyards; sawmills; and the nearby penitentiary and asylum, Rockwood Asylum Economic opportunities declined at the turn of the twentieth century, and the village was annexed by the city of Kingston in 1952. Portsmouth Village is home to Portsmouth Olympic Harbor, which held the yachting and boating events of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Today the area retains its historic village feel while being a part of the city of Kingston.