Charles Fisher
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Charles Fisher (1808-1880) was a
New Brunswick politician and jurist. Fisher was a Reformer who led the first
responsible government in New Brunswick from
1854 to
1861. He was first elected to the colonial
assembly in
1837 and initially served on the
compact government (the Tory clique that ruled the colony) from
1848 to
1850 before becoming
leader of the opposition and then
Premier and
Attorney-General in
1854. His government implemented various reformes in education, administration and the electoral system. His government lost power in 1856 when it tried to implement
prohibition which proved unpopular with voters but he returned to power in
1857. His leadership ended in
1861 when he was ousted by fellow reformer
Samuel L. Tilley due to a scandal over the leasing of crown lands. He became a
Father of Confederation, however, participating in the
Quebec Conference of
1864 and the
1867 London Conference that drafted the
British North America Act. He was elected to the
House of Commons in 1867 as a
Liberal but resigned his
seat in
1868 to accept an appointement to the New Brunswick
Supreme Court.
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