James Whitney
| James Pliny Whitney | |
|---|---|
The Hon. Sir James Pliny Whitney
|
|
| 6th Premier of Ontario | |
|
In office February 8, 1905 – September 25, 1914 |
|
| Monarch |
Edward VII George V |
| Lieutenant Governor |
William Mortimer Clark John Morison Gibson John Strathearn Hendrie |
| Preceded by | George William Ross |
| Succeeded by | William Howard Hearst |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly | |
|
In office January 31, 1888 – September 25, 1914 |
|
| Preceded by | Theodore F. Chamberlain |
| Succeeded by | Irwin Foster Hilliard |
| Constituency | Dundas |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 2, 1843 Williamsburgh Township, Upper Canada |
| Died | September 25, 1914 (aged 70) Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Ontario Conservative Party |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Park |
| Religion | Anglican |
Sir James Pliny Whitney, KCMG (October 2, 1843 – September 25, 1914) was a Canadian politician in the province of Ontario. Whitney was a lawyer in eastern Ontario, Conservative member for Dundas from 1888 to 1914, and the sixth Premier of Ontario from 1905 to 1914.
Whitney was born in Williamsburgh Township in 1843 and attended Cornwall Grammar School before articling the law office of John Sandfield Macdonald in the 1860s, but did not resume his legal studies until 1871. He was called to the bar in 1875, and practiced law in Morrisburg.
Whitney was elected to the Ontario legislature in 1888. He became leader of the Conservative Party in 1896 taking it from a narrow, bigoted rump into a forward-looking party determined to build the province.
In the 1905 election, he led the Tories to victory for the first time in 33 years by defeating the Liberal government of George William Ross.
Whitney's government laid the basis for Ontario's industrial development by creating the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, with Sir Adam Beck as its chairman and driving force. His government also passed significant temperance and workmen's compensation legislation. He also supported the anti-Catholic, anti-French-Canadian sentiments of supporters of the Orange Order in his caucus (such as George Howard Ferguson) by passing Regulation 17. This regulation banned the teaching of French in schools beyond the first three years of school. The measure inflamed French-Canadian opinion across Canada, particularly in Quebec, and split the country as it entered World War I.
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