Henry, William Alexander National Historic Person
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Portrait of William Alexander Henry
(© None; Credit: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada)
Address :
1815 Upper Water Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1939-05-29
Life Date:
1816 to 1888
Other Name(s):
-
Henry, William Alexander
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Father of Confederation
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: On wall of Law Courts Building Halifax, Nova Scotia
Born in Halifax and called to the bar in 1840, Henry represented Antigonish in the Nova Scotia Assembly as a Liberal (1841-57), and as a Conservative (1857-67). An ardent advocate of Confederation, he attended the Charlottetown, Quebec and London Conferences. Defeated by an anti-confederate electorate in 1867, he returned to his law practice until 1875 when he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. His legal decisions were distinguished by their plain common sense and impatience with legal niceties. He died in Ottawa.