Richard William Scott

The Honourable Sir Richard William Scott
Sir Richard William Scott
5th Mayor of Bytown
In office 1852–1853
Preceded by	Charles Sparrow
Succeeded by	J. B. Turgeon
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
In office 1867–1874
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Daniel John O'Donoghue
Constituency	Ottawa
2nd Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
In office December 7, 1871 – December 21, 1871
Preceded by	John Stevenson
Succeeded by	James Currie
Senator for Ottawa, Ontario
In office March 13, 1874 – April 23, 1913
Appointed by	Alexander Mackenzie
Personal details
Born	(1825-02-24)February 24, 1825 Prescott, Upper Canada
Died	April 23, 1913(1913-04-23) (aged 88) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Ontario Liberal Party
Spouse	Mary Ann Heron
Cabinet	Provincial: Commissioner of Crown Lands Federal: Minister Without Portfolio Secretary of State of Canada Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (Acting) Minister of the Interior (Acting)

Sir Richard William Scott, PC KC (February 24, 1825 – April 23, 1913) was a Canadian politician and cabinet minister.

Early life

He was born in Prescott, Ontario, in 1825, a descendant of a family from County Clare. A lawyer by training, Scott was admitted to the bar in 1848 and established a practice in Bytown (now Ottawa).

Political career

Scott became a member of municipal council in 1851, was mayor of Bytown in 1852, and held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1857 to 1863. With Canadian Confederation, Scott won a seat in the Ontario legislature as a Liberal representing Ottawa from 1867 to 1871. He was Speaker of the legislature briefly in December 1871 before he was appointed to the provincial cabinet as Commissioner of Crown Lands. Scott played a leading role in passing legislation ensuring the rights of separate schools in Ontario.

In November 1873, he left provincial politics when he was appointed minister without portfolio by Alexander Mackenzie in the federal Cabinet. Mackenzie had become prime minister after Sir John A. Macdonald's government had been forced to resign because of the Pacific Scandal. Scott was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Mackenzie in January 1874 and became Secretary of State for Canada and Leader of the Government in the Senate.

A supporter of temperance, he drafted the "Scott Act," which allowed any county or municipality in Canada to prohibit the retail sale of liquor by majority vote. With the defeat of the Liberal government in the 1878 election, Scott became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate until the return of the Liberals to government, under Wilfrid Laurier. Scott resumed his old Cabinet position of Secretary of State.

Scott retired from the cabinet in 1908 but remained in the Senate until his death in 1913.

He was made a knight in 1909 by King Edward VII.

Family

Mrs Mary A Scott by William James Topley

Richard William Scott was married in Philadelphia, Pa., November 8, 1853, to Mary Heron, the daughter of John Heron and Frances, his wife. She was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland. The couple had two sons William L. Scott, Local Master in Chancery, and D Arcy Scott, Barrister, Ottawa and four daughters. Before her marriage, Mrs. Scott was a professional singer who toured in Canada and the United States as a member of "The Heron sisters." The couple lived at 274 Daly Avenue, Ottawa. She served on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Women and as a Vice-President of the Local Council.

Archives

There is a Richard William Scott fonds at Library and Archives Canada.

Electoral history

1867 Ontario general election: Ottawa
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Richard William Scott	810	68.76
	Conservative	Henry J. Friel	368	31.24
Total valid votes			1,178	41.49
Eligible voters			2,839
	Liberal pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario

1871 Ontario general election: Ottawa
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard William Scott	574	76.33	+7.57
	Conservative	G.H. Preston	178	23.67	−7.57
Turnout			752	27.68	−13.81
Eligible voters			2,717
	Liberal hold		Swing		+7.57
Source: Elections Ontario

Ontario provincial by-election, January 1872: Ottawa Ministerial by-election
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Richard William Scott	Acclaimed
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario

External links

• Clarke, Brian P. (1998). "Scott, Sir Richard William". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
• Richard William Scott – Parliament of Canada biography
• Member's Parliamentary History at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
• Sir Richard Scott, PC, KC