Louis Henry Davies

DAVIES, P.C., QC„ RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR LOUIS HENRY, lawyer, judge, business person, and publisher; b. 4 May 1845 in Charlottetown, son of Benjamin Davies* and Kezia Attwood Watts; m. 28 July 1872 Susan Wiggins, and they had seven children, Gertrude, Ethel, Thomas, Mary, Vera, Robert, and Hugh (the latter three did not survive childhood); Anglican; d. 1 May 1924 in Ottawa. Davies, a Liberal, was first elected to the House of Assembly in the general election of 1872 for Charlottetown Royalty. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1873 and 1876. Davies was defeated in the general election of 1879. In 1869 Davies was appointed Solicitor-General. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 1872 to 1876, and Premier and Attorney-General from 1876 to 1879. Davies was a Member of the House of Assembly concurrently with his father, Benjamin Davies*, from 1872 to 1875. While Davies was Premier, the Free School Act was passed by the House of Assembly. The Act reconfirmed the non-denominational nature of the province's public school system, ending decades of debate regarding government support for separate schools. This came at a cost, for the process required to pass the legislation proved difficult and socially fractious. Davies united Protestant House of Assembly Members to form the Free Schools Party. This coalition was made up of both Conservatives and Liberals who supported the Free School Act. Davies was also responsible for various reforms in the public service. Following the financial crisis caused by the construction of the railway, the Davies government placed the province upon a sound financial footing. During his years in the provincial legislature, he established a reputation as a capable and committed orator. In the 1882 federal election, Davies was elected to the House of Commons for Queen's County. He w'as re-elected in 1887 and 1891. In 1896 Davies was re-elected to the House of Commons representing West Queen's. After accepting an appointment to the Privy Council as Minister of Marine and Fisheries, he was re-elected in a by-election held 30 July 1896. For the fifth consecutive federal general election, Davies was re-elected to the House of Commons in 1900. As federal Minister of Marine and Fisheries, Davies dealt with the Bering Sea sealing controversy. He was responsible for dealing with the control over fishing rights in Canadian waters. Davies also argued Canada's side in the 1899 Alaska Boundary question. In 1897 during Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Davies was created a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George. On 25 September 1901, he was appointed Puisne Judge, Supreme Court of Canada. He served on the Supreme Court for nearly 23 years, serving as Chief Justice from 1918 until his death. In 1919 he was sworn in as a member of the Imperial Privy Council, at that time the highest court of the Commonwealth. Davies was educated at the Central Academy and Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. Later he attended the Inner Temple in London, England, and obtained a law degree. Davies was called to the British Bar in 1866 and to the Bar of Prince Edward Island in 1867. He instructed Alexander Warburton*, a future premier, in the law, as he later did John Wheaf. Davies was designated Queen's Counsel in 1880. In November 1890 Francis L. Haszard*, another future premier, joined with Davies in a law' practice that continued until Davies' appointment to the Supreme Court. In Davies' early legal career, he advocated on behalf of the tenantry of Prince Edward Island. For many years the tenants of the province struggled under the system of absentee landlordism imposed when the colony was settled. In 1875 and 1876, Davies argued the tenants' case successfully before the Royal Lind Commission. I he Commission was responsible for arbitrating the price for the land to be bought by the Island government and then resold to the tenants . Davies first gained national recognition in 1877, when he argued successfully on behalf of the British counsel before the International Fisheries Commission. According to the decision of the Commission, Canada and Newfoundland were awarded the sum of $5.5 million as compensation for treatment they received as a result of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854. Davies served as president of the Merchant's Bank of Prince Edward Island, as well as the president of Patriot Printing and Publishing Company. Throughout his lifetime he was involved in numerous charitable organizations, serving as president of the Canadian Society of Charities and Corrections and as president of the Canadian Branch of the St. John's Ambulance. Davies was the founder and first president of the Ottawa Tuberculosis Association. During the First World War he also administered the Patriotic Fund. As a member of the Dickens Fellowship, he lectured on various subjects, including the life and works of Charles Dickens. Louis Davies died 1 May 1924, while serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. He was buried in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. Susan Davies was the daughter of Reverend Abram Van Gilder Wiggins of St. Eleanors and Helen Diane Townsend.