Abbott, Sir John Joseph Caldwell National Historic Person
Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec
Portrait of Sir Abbott, 1892
(© William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada/PA-033933)
Address :
Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1938-05-19
Life Date:
1821 to 1893
Dates:
-
1891 to 1892
(Significant)
Other Name(s):
-
Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Prime Minister of Canada (1891-92)
Plaque(s)
Born in Argenteuil County which he represented, first in the Legislative Assembly of Canada and then in the Commons, for twenty-four years, Abbott was a leading authority on commercial law. Dean of Law at McGill University (1855-80) and Solicitor General in 1863, he was counsel to the Canadian Pacific Railway 1880-7) during a significant period of its evolution. Appointed to the Senate in 1887 he became government leader and a member of Cabinet. When Macdonald died in 1891, Abbott, "a compromise nominee", was chosen to be Prime Minister but resigned within a year because of ill health. He died in Montreal.