Robert Bond
|
The Right Honourable Robert Bond KCMG |
|
|---|---|
| 1st Prime Minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland | |
|
In office 26 September 1907 – 2 March 1909 |
|
| Monarch | Edward VII |
| Governor | William MacGregor |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Edward Morris |
| 11th Premier of Newfoundland | |
|
In office 15 March 1900 – 26 September 1907 |
|
| Monarch |
Victoria, Edward VII |
| Governor |
Henry Edward McCallum, Charles Cavendish Boyle, William MacGregor |
| Preceded by | James Spearman Winter |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 February 1857 St. John’s, Newfoundland |
| Died | 16 March 1927 Whitbourne, Newfoundland |
| Nationality | Newfoundlander |
| Political party | Liberal |
Sir Robert Bond (February 25, 1857 – March 16, 1927) was the last Premier of Newfoundland Colony from 1900 to 1907 and the first prime minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1907 to 1909 after the 1907 Imperial Conference conferred dominion status on the island. He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, as the son of merchant John Bond. Bond grew up in St. John's until 1872 when his father died and left the family a good deal of money. He went to England where he was educated and came back to Newfoundland and articled under Sir William Whiteway.
He got involved in politics in 1882 when he ran for the House of Assembly in Trinity Bay. He was speaker of the House of Assembly before the Whiteway government was defeated in 1885. When Whiteway came back into power in 1889; Bond was made Colonial Secretary. He tried to negotiate free trade with the United States but it failed because of Canada's objection.
The government was defeated by judicial means in 1894 but came back to power shortly after because of the bank crash of 1894. Bond became leader of the Liberal Party after Whiteway lost the 1897 election. He became Premier in 1900 after the Conservatives under Sir James Winter lost a vote of confidence. As Prime Minister he once again tried to negotiate free trade with the United States. It failed because of the objections of US senator Henry Cabot Lodge. Teddy Roosevelt tried to intervene but was not successful and it ended the friendship between the two nations. Relations between the United States and Newfoundland deteriorated to the point where in November 1905 in Bonne Bay local fisherman clashed with Americans trying to buy bait on shore. In 1904 Bond was re-elected with a clear majority. He went on to settle the French Shore issue which gave Newfoundland full control over the island. Following the 1907 Imperial Conference, Newfoundland and the other self-governing British colonies were given dominion status and Bond formally became the first prime minister of the Dominion of Newfoundland.
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