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Absalom Greeley

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Absalom Greeley
Ontario MPP
In office
1867–1870
Preceded byRiding established
Succeeded byWilliam Anderson
ConstituencyPrince Edward
Personal details
Born(1823-04-18)April 18, 1823
DiedOctober 28, 1885(1885-10-28) (aged 62)
Kansas City, Missouri
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Millicent Ann Roblin
(m. 1846)
Children9

Absalom Greeley (April 18, 1823 – October 28, 1885) was the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Prince Edward in the 1st Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1870.[1] Greeley ran on the political platform of the Reform movement; however he was thought to be a Yankee Tory; a conservative with American origins in the American Whig Party. He is also supportive of the Family Compact which is not consistent with a Reform platform.[2]

Origins

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Absalom Greeley is believed to have emigrated from Maine, U.S.A. with his parents in the early half of the 19th-century. His father had been a surveyor there. Although largely self-educated, he is credited with good learning and significant intellect.[2] His place of residence after 1881 is unknown.

Political history

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In 1869, he is reported in Toronto newspapers as supporting the extravagant expenses at the Governors residence in an attempt to curry favour with the Family Compact.[3] He is also reported to have tried to sell his party nomination for a county seat as Reeve; an attempt which eventually failed and became public knownledge.[3] Greeley did not run in the 1871 election. In 1881, Greeley was charged with forgery in the town of Picton, Prince Edward County.[4]

Parliamentary Work

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As an MPP, he worked on the following Committees:

Standing Committees

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  • Standing Committee on Printing
  • Standing Committee on Standing Orders

Select Committees

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  • Select Committee to inquire into and report upon the endowment and utility of Upper Canada College and its relationship to the educational system
  • Select Committee to enquire into the usefulness and cost of wooden railways as a means of furthering the settlement of the country
  • Select Committee to consider Bill 33 Respecting Union Houses and Religious Worship
  • Select Committee to consider Bill 14 registration of births and deaths and marriages
  • Select Committee appointed to examine in to the working of the common and grammar school system of Ontario
  • Select Committee to consider Bill 30, An Act for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Horticulture, Arts and Manufactures
  • Select Committee to Revise the Standing Orders of this House Affecting Bills relating to Railways, Canals and Telegraphs
  • Special Committee to consider the Municipal and Assessments Act

Electoral history

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1867 Ontario general election: Prince Edward
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Absalom Greeley 1,605 58.66
Conservative Mr. Solmes 1,131 41.34
Total valid votes 2,736 76.53
Eligible voters 3,575
Liberal pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Census of Canada 1871". Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Sarnia Observer: The Prince Edward Election". Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "The Globe February 23, 1869". Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  4. ^ "Defendant: Greeley, Absalom; Charged with Forgery: Prince Edward County RG 22-392". Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  5. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1867. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
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