Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

SIR FRANCIS HINCKS (1807-1885)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 477 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

SIR See also:FRANCIS See also:HINCKS (1807-1885)  , See also:Canadian statesman, was See also:born at See also:Cork, See also:Ireland, the son of an Irish Presbyterian See also:minister . In 1832 he engaged in business in See also:Toronto, became a friend of See also:Robert See also:Baldwin, and in 1835 was chosen to examine the accounts of the Welland See also:Canal, the management of which was being attacked by W . L . See also:Mackenzie . This turned his See also:attention to See also:political See also:life and in 1838 he founded the Examiner, a weekly See also:paper in the Liberal See also:interest . In 1841 he was elected M.P. for the See also:county of See also:Oxford, and in the following See also:year was appointed inspector-See also:general, the See also:title then See also:borne by the See also:finance minister, but in 1843 resigned with Baldwin and the other ministers on the question of responsible See also:government . In 1848 he again became inspector-general in the Baldwin-See also:Lafontaine See also:ministry, and on their retirement in 1851 became premier of See also:Canada, his See also:chief colleague being A . N . See also:Morin (1803-1865) . While premier he was prominent in the negotiations which led to the construction of the See also:Grand See also:Trunk railway, and in co-operation with See also:Lord See also:Elgin negotiated with the See also:United States the See also:reciprocity treaty of 1854 . In the same year the See also:bitter hostility of the " Clear Grits " under See also:George See also:Brown compelled his resignation, and he was prominent in the formation of the Liberal-Conservative Party . In 1855 he was chosen See also:governor of See also:Barbados and the Windward Islands, and subsequently governor of See also:British See also:Guiana .

In 1869 he was created K.C.M.G. and returned to Canada, becoming till 1873 finance minister in the See also:

cabinet of See also:Sir See also:John See also:Macdonald . In See also:February of that year he resigned, but continued to take an active See also:part in public life . In 1879 the failure of the Consolidated See also:Bank of Canada, of which he was See also:president, led to his being tried for issuing false statements . Though found guilty on a technicality (see See also:Journal of the Canadian Bankers' Association, See also:April 1906) See also:judgment was suspended, his See also:personal See also:credit remained unimpaired, and he continued to take part in the discussion of public questions till his See also:death on the 18th of See also:August 1885 . His writings include: The Political See also:History of Canada between r84o and 1855 (1877); The Political Destiny of Canada (1878), and his Reminiscences (1884) .

End of Article: SIR FRANCIS HINCKS (1807-1885)
[back]
EDWARD HINCKS (1792-1866)
[next]
HINCMAR (c. 805-882)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.