James Bethune (July 7, 1840 – December 18, 1884) was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Stormont in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1879.
James Bethune | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1872–1879 | |
| Preceded by | William Colquhoun |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Kerr |
| Constituency | Stormont |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 7, 1840 Glengarry County, Upper Canada |
| Died | December 18, 1884 (aged 44) |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
He was born in Glengarry County in Upper Canada in 1840. He studied at Queen's College and University College. He articled in law, was called to the bar in 1862 and opened a practice in Cornwall. In 1865, he was named County Crown Attorney for Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. He was called to the Quebec bar in 1869. He was elected to the 2nd Parliament of Ontario for Stormont in an 1872 by-election and was reelected in 1875. In 1870, he moved to Toronto and formed a law firm with Edward Blake and James Kirkpatrick Kerr. He retired from politics in 1879.
Electoral history
edit| 1871 Ontario general election: Stormont | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Conservative | William Colquhoun | 705 | 50.18 | |||||
| Liberal | James Bethune | 700 | 49.82 | |||||
| Turnout | 1,405 | 74.34 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 1,890 | |||||||
| Election voided | ||||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[1] | ||||||||
| Ontario provincial by-election, March 21, 1872: Stormont Previous election voided | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | James Bethune | 790 | 51.10 | +6.75 | ||||
| Conservative | William Colquhoun | 756 | 48.90 | −6.75 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 1,546 | 100.0 | +8.49 | |||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.75 | ||||||
| Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[2]: 357 | ||||||||
| 1875 Ontario general election: Stormont | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | James Bethune | 948 | 53.77 | +3.95 | ||||
| Conservative | William Colquhoun | 815 | 46.23 | −3.95 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 1,763 | 77.19 | +2.85 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 2,284 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.95 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[3] | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
- ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved April 6, 2024.