Samuel Leonard Tilley
\nSir
Samuel Leonard Tilley (
1818-
1896) was a
Canadian politician. Tilley was descended from
United Empire Loyalists on both sides of his family. A pharmacist, he went into business as a druggist.
Tilley was an activist in the
temperance movement and this brought him to politics. He became an advocate for
responsible government as a result of the 1848 recession which was caused, in part, by
Britain's economic policies. Tilley joined the New-Brunswick Colonial Association which advocated that the colony have control over its public expenses, that a
public school system be established, government control of
public works and "honest government".
First elected to the
New Brunswick Assembly as a
Liberal in
1850 he sat in
opposition until the 1854 election swept the reformers to power. Tilley became provincial secretary in the government of
Richard Fisher
He attended both the
Charlottetown an
Quebec City Conferences as a supporter of
Canadian Confederation. He served as
Premier of the
colony of New Brunswick from 1861 until his government was defeated in the election of 1865. As
Premier he supported the New Brunswick's entry into Confederation and the construction of an inter--colonial railway.
Tilley entered federal politics with Confederation in 1867 and served in the federal
Macdonald Cabinet as Minister of Customs He became
Minister of Finance in 1873 until the defeat of the government later that year. He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick in 1873 and served until 1878 When Macdonald's
Tories returned to power in 1878, Tilley again became minister of finance and served until his retirement from politics in 1885 to become
Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick for a second term until
1893.
He is interred in the
Fernhill Cemetery in
Saint John, New Brunswick.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Samuel Leonard Tilley
Tilley, Samuel
