A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose

succeeded in building up a lucrative business. A man of Dr. Tupper’s ambitious turn was likely, sooner or later, to take that road which leads so many men to high public distinction, and probably when he did so, few men in this country were ever so well equipped for such a venture. He had a good presence, a hearty, genial address; he had read widely, observed keenly, and could discourse volubly and captivatingly upon any topic that arose. His extensive professional practice made him known to nearly everybody in Cumberland; and he had the tact—as the time was near that he had chosen for embarkation on public life—to be less prompt in sending in his accounts, and less rigid in enforcing payment than heretofore. Indeed, the robust and correct business man soon attained the name of being generous. Dr. Tupper was always a Conservative, and for the Conservative party he always expressed his preferences. But he could not be called a Tory. There was nothing retrogressive or narrow about him, and he did not care three straws for custom or tradition if it stood in the way of any condition of affairs that he considered desirable. In 1855 a general election took place in Nova Scotia, and, in response to a call from a number of prominent Conservatives, he offered himself for Cumberland, and was successful. And successful, too, over an opponent no less redoubtable than the then great lion of the Reform party, Joseph Howe. Howe was a most generous opponent. In that contest he did not suppose that he would be defeated, but he recognised the strength of his young opponent. From hustings to hustings he went, at each one saying that he had no fear of the result, but bearing testimony to the power of his opponent, and predicting that the time was near when he would be heard from, and render a creditable account of himself. The result of the fight, as we have said, was that Dr. Tupper was returned to represent his native county in the Nova Scotia legislature, where the young member for Cumberland at once attracted notice. As a speaker he was astute, ready, sarcastic, and often overwhelming, and for downright thunderous strength of style, no one could come near him. In 1856 he became provincial secretary in the Hon. James W. Johnston’s administration; in 1858 he went to England on a mission connected with the Intercolonial Railway; and in 1864 he became premier, on the retirement of the Hon. Mr. Johnston to the bench. In 1869 he moved the resolutions providing for a conference in Prince Edward Island to consider a scheme for a maritime union, but that project was afterwards merged into the larger one, which aimed at a confederation of the whole of the British North America provinces. In the confederation movement, Dr. Tupper took a leading part, attending the Quebec conference, and afterwards going to England when the question was discussed before the members of the Imperial government. In 1867 he was created a C.B., and in the same year was invited to take a seat in the Privy Council of Canada. This he refused, remaining a private member of the House of Commons till 1870, when he consented to become president of the council. In 1872 he became minister of inland revenue, and in 1873 minister of customs, which office he was soon obliged to surrender, by reason of the defeat of the ministry. During the campaign of 1878 he was like a lion in the fight, and his great battle-cry infused courage into the hearts of thousands of men who wavered between the two parties. That year the Liberals were defeated, and Dr. Tupper became minister of public works till that department was divided, when he took the portfolio of railways and canals. In 1879 he was created a knight of the order of St. Michael and St. George. His connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway is in everybody’s mind. To him more than to any other man in Canada is due the success of that great enterprise. In 1883 he was appointed high commissioner of Canada to the Court of St. James in London, retaining his position as minister of railways and canals. In this connection, Sir John Macdonald passed an act relieving the honorable gentleman from penalties under the Independence of Parliament Act; but after the close of the session of 1884, Sir Charles resigned his seat in the cabinet, and retained the high commissionership. He, however, soon re-entered active politics again. He was returned at the last general election by his old constituency, and was appointed finance minister on the 27th January, 1887, which office he still holds. Sir Charles Tupper was appointed executive commissioner for Canada at the International Exhibition held at Antwerp in 1885, and executive commissioner at the Colonial and Industrial Exhibition held in London in