Donald Ferguson

FERGUSON, P.C., HONOURABLE DONALD, farmer, journalist, agent, and justice of the peace; b. 7 March 1839 in Marshfield, son of John Ferguson and Isabella Stewart; m. 26 March 1873 Elizabeth S. Scott of Charlottetown, and they had perhaps six children of whom these names are known, J. Helena, RW„ J. Howard, William Scott, Colin Campbell, and Nora Bell; Baptist; d. 3 September 1909 in Marshfield. Ferguson, a Conservative, was first elected to the House of Assembly in an 1878 by-election for 3rd Kings by acclamation. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1879, 1882, 1886, and 1890 for 3rd Queens. Ferguson's first bid for office was in 1873, when he was defeated in the election for Legislative Council by the anti-railway, anti-Confederation incumbent, Edward Palmer, In 1874 he again was defeated in the Council election. Later that year, Ferguson w'as appointed Secretary of the Board of Railway Appraisers and served in that role until 1876. In 1879, as Minister of Public Works in the Sullivan Administration, he was instrumental in passing The Public Roads Act. He resigned in 1880 upon appointment to the position of Provincial Secretary and Commissioner of Lands and was re-elected in a subsequent by-election. He held these positions until 1891. In that year, Ferguson resigned from the Assembly to run in the federal seat of Queen's County, but was narrowly defeated by L. H. Davies*. In 1893 he was appointed to the Senate, where his experience and respected debating skills made him a useful member o( the Upper Chamber. Ferguson was appointed in 1894 to the federal Cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio in the MacKenzie-Boswell government, and remained in Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture under Prime Minister Tupper. He left politics upon the defeat of the Conservative government in 1896. Ferguson was a patriotic Conservative, a defender of the Empire, and opposed to American influence. He w'as an advocate of temperance legislation. A highlight of Ferguson's career was a March 1886 trip to England as part of a provincial delegation, led by Premier Sullivan, whose objective was to make a formal complaint to the Queen. It was the province's position that the federal government was not meeting its commitments under the Terms of Union regarding the continuous communication between the Island and the mainland. Though not immediately successful, this trip eventually led to improved travelling conditions across the Strait. In 1888 the first steel-screw ship between Charlottetown and Pictou was put in service. Before entering politics, Ferguson took part in the discussions on the problems of Confederation, and championed the cause of union with Canada when it was unpopular in the province. He also promoted the extension of the railway system. Ferguson resided in Marshfield throughout his life, and was educated at the local school. The private tutoring that supplemented his early schooling spawned a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and self-education. From 1869 to 1870, he was a political writer for the Island Argus and frequently contributed to the local press. Later Ferguson worked as an agent for an agricultural implement and farm chemical company. He raised purebred stock. In1872 Ferguson served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1873 as Commissioner of Inland Revenue. Further, he was a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Government Poor House, was a member of the board of the Hospital for the Insane, had a managerial post at the Government Stock Farm, and was vice-president of the Dominion Shorthorn Breeders' Association. Besides Ferguson's contribution to local journalism, he had two lectures to local societies published, one of which appeared in The Prince Edward Island Magazine entitled "Social Enjoyment in the Old Times."His other involvement included membership with the Good Templars. He became Grand Secretary of the Good Templars in 1863, and from 1865 to 1867 was the Grand Worthy Chief. Donald Ferguson died 3 September 1909. Elizabeth Ferguson, the daughter of John Scott, a carriage maker, and Elizabeth Stewart, was born in December 1827 and died in 1927. There is some discrepancy as to the number of children in Ferguson's family. One source indicates the couple raised three sons and two daughters, while census data indicates they had three sons and three daughters.