Robert Thorburn
Sir Robert Thorburn | |
---|---|
Premier of Newfoundland | |
In office 12 October 1885 – December 1889 | |
Preceded by | William Whiteway |
Succeeded by | William Whiteway |
Personal details | |
Born | Juniper Bank, near Colony of Newfoundland | March 28, 1836
Sir Robert Thorburn (March 28, 1836 – April 12, 1906) was a British-born
from 1885 to 1889.Life
Born in
Thorburn was an opponent of Sir
Traditionally, Newfoundland politics had been divided along sectarian lines with
Thorburn created the New Party to represent the interest of St. John's businessmen.
The Harbour Grace Affray, an 1883 sectarian melee between Irish Catholics of Riverhead and the Southside of Harbour Grace who confronted a parade of Orangemen. The resulting battle killed five and wounded seventeen. The riot strained relations between Catholics and Protestants and led to the collapse of Whiteway's government when Protestants deserted it.
The religious violence gave Thorburn an opportunity. He joined with Orangemen and Protestants who had deserted Whiteway's government in the wake of the riot to create a new party, the Reform Party as a Protestant Rights organization and swept to power in the 1885 election making Thorburn the new premier.
In power, Thorburn's government turned away from the sectarian agenda that had brought it to power and implemented Thorburn's real agenda, the rejection of the railway plan and focussing on developing the economy along the fishers. An economic downturn was exacerbated by the colony's one industry economy forcing Thorburn to belatedly reverse himself and implement a public works agenda. It was too late, however, and Thorburn was defeated in 1889 by Whiteway and his new Liberal Party which had been created to promote the railway plan. The Reform Party collapsed and a new Tory Party emerged from its ashes but was only able to hold power twice for brief periods before disappearing.
References
- Hiller, J. K. (1994). "Thorburn, Sir Robert". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.