Background
He was born in Lincoln, England in 1826, studied there with George Boole, apprenticed as a draper and came to Canada West in 1844.
He was born in Lincoln, England in 1826, studied there with George Boole, apprenticed as a draper and came to Canada West in 1844.
He was editor for the Journal and Express newspapers in Hamilton and helped establish the Elora Backwoodsman. He served on the town council for Elora and was reeve from 1859 to 1864 and from 1867 to 1868. He commanded a local militia unit during the Fenian raids, becoming lieutenant-colonel.
In 1874, he helped introduce legislation that established the secret ballot for elections in the province.
He became clerk of the legislature in January 1892 and served until 1907. He died in Elora in 1909.