Francis Evans Cornish, QC (February 1, 1831 – November 28, 1878) was a politician in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. He served as Mayor of London, Ontario, in the early 1860s, became the first Mayor of Winnipeg in 1874, and was for a time a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Queens Counsel (postnominal QC), during the reign of a male Sovereign known as Kings Counsel (KC), are barristers or, in Scotland, advocates appointed by letters patent to be one of Her Majestys Counsel learned in the law. They do not constitute a separate order or degree of... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English, French (in some areas) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 106 24 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 4th 1,076,395... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Official languages English Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 14 6 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 8th 647,797 km² 14. ... This is list of mayors of London, Ontario, Canada. ... List of mayors of Winnipeg, Manitoba: 1874 Francis Evans Cornish, Q. C. 1875–76 William Nassau Kennedy 1877–78 Thomas Scott 1879–80 Alexander Logan 1881 Elias George Conklin 1882 Alexander Logan 1883 Alexander McMicken 1884 Alexander Logan 1885 Charles Edward Hamilton 1886 Henry Shaver Wesbrook 1887–88 Lyman Melvin... The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba is located in central Winnipeg, at the meeting point of the Wolseley and Fort Rouge ridings. ...

Cornish was born in London, Ontario, to a family that had moved to Canada from England twelve years earlier. He was educated in London, articled in law, and was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1855. At age 26, he was appointed a QC. He was a successful lawyer, and was involved in the local masonic and Orange lodges. Nickname: The Forest City City of London, Ontario, Canadas Location. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario Upper Canada is an early name for the land at the upstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in early North America – the territory south of Lake Nipissing and north of the St. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Queens Counsel (postnominal QC), during the reign of a male Sovereign known as Kings Counsel (KC), are barristers or, in Scotland, advocates appointed by letters patent to be one of Her Majestys Counsel learned in the law. They do not constitute a separate order or degree of... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

London was incorporated as a city in 1855, and Cornish was elected as an alderman in its seventh ward three years later. He was re-elected in 1859 and 1860. In May 1860, Cornish ran as a Conservative candidate in the riding of Middlesex East, in a by-election for the Province of Canada's legislature. He was defeated by R. Craik, a Liberal. There was a second Conservative candidate in the race, and some suspect that Cornish deliberately split the Conservative vote to permit a Liberal victory. 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The name Conservative Party of Canada has been used twice in Canadian history. ... Middlesex East was a former federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of Ontario. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada) currently forms the federal government under Prime Minister Paul Martin. ...

Cornish was elected Mayor of London in 1861, and held the position for the next four years. He was responsible for resolving a scandal at the city's hospital, and oversaw the city's first serious efforts to reduce fire hazards in its central region. The most notorious incident of his tenure as mayor occurred in 1863, when he physically attacked a British commander who boasted of an affair with Cornish's wife. He was convicted of assault, and fined eight dollars. 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Cornish often resorted to dubious means to win elections, and received assistance from members of the local Orange Order. He was defeated for the mayoralty in 1865, when his opponent David Glass successfully petitioned for the local militia to oversee the civic proceedings. 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... David D. Glass is the chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors of Wal-Mart. ...

Cornish ran for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1871 provincial election, but was defeated by John Carling, a local brewer and fellow Conservative. Cornish's loyalty to the Conservative Party was ambiguous in this period, and some sources believe he favoured the Liberals. The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... The Ontario general election of 1871 was the second general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... John Carling (January 23, 1828 – November 6, 1911) was a prominent politician and businessman from London, Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party of Ontario) is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. ...

Although he was re-elected to London's municipal council in 1871, Cornish had little interest in the city. He moved to Winnipeg in 1872, and assisted in developing of the new province's legal system. He became a spokesman for recent Ontario immigrants, and forged a political alliance with John Christian Schultz's Canadian Party. Schultz's followers opposed the province's "consensus government" and were often involved in violent activities against the local Métis population. London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadas Location. ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... John Christian Schultz The Honourable Sir John Christian Schultz (January 1, 1840 – April 13, 1896) was a Manitoba politician. ... The Canadian Party was a group founded by John Christian Schultz in 1869, in the Red River settlement (which later became the Canadian province of Manitoba). ... The Métis (pronounced MAY tee, IPA: , in French or , in Métis ) are one of three recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada. ...

Against the wishes of prime minister John A. Macdonald, Cornish coordinated the arrest of Ambroise Lepine in 1873. Lepine had been the adjutant-general in Louis Riel's provisional government, and his arrest sparked bitter divisions among the province's English-speaking and French-speaking communities. Cornish served as leader for the prosecution in Lepine's trial, which resulted in a conviction and a death sentence (later commuted to a minor jail sentence). The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), the head of the Government of Canada, is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, KCMG, GCB, QC, PC, DCL, LL.D (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada from July 1, 1867 – November 5, 1873 and October 17, 1878 – June 6, 1891. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ... Louis Riel Louis David Riel (October 22, 1844 – November 16, 1885), was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. ...

Winnipeg was formally incorporated as a city in 1873, and Cornish declared himself a candidate for the city's mayoralty. On January 5, 1874, he defeated William F. Luxton by a margin of 383 votes to 179. It may be noted that there were only 382 eligible voters in the city at the time, but that property owners were allowed to vote in every civic poll in which they owned property. Cornish's followers exploited this rule to their benefit. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

In the 1874 provincial election, Cornish declared himself a candidate for the Manitoba legislature in the constituency of Poplar Point. He ran as an opponent of premier Robert A. Davis's ministry (which was primarily supported by francophones), amd defeated his sole opponent, Robert Hastie, by a margin of 92 votes to 65. Cornish subsequently allowed his name to stand for re-election as mayor of Winnipeg, but paid little attention to the campaign. He was defeated by William Kennedy, 218 votes to 164. This was the 2nd Manitoba general election and was held on December 30, 1874. ... Categories: Canada-related stubs | Manitoba premiers ... Robert Atkinson Davis (March 9, 1841-January 7, 1903) was a businessman and Manitoba politician. ... William Nassau Kennedy (28 April 1839 – 3 May 1885) was the second Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1875 – 1876. ...

Early in 1875, opposition leader John Norquay entered the cabinet of premier Davis and brought several of his anglophone followers to the government side. Cornish did not join Norquay, and emerged as the leader of the parliamentary opposition. He was again accused of fomenting violence in a 1876 municipal election, and was fined twenty dollars for his role in an altercation. 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... John Norquay, Premier of Manitoba John Norquay (May 8, 1841-July 5, 1889) was Premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Cornish was asked to run as a Liberal candidate in the 1878 federal election of 1878, but declined. His party affiliation was still ambiguous in this period. He declared himself a "National" in federal politics, and is generally considered to have been a Conservative, albeit of an independent stripe, during his time in the Manitoba legislature. Like John Christian Schultz, he gradually left his Ontario Conservative background, and sometimes aligned himself with a "Liberal" position when opposing the provincial government. The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada) currently forms the federal government under Prime Minister Paul Martin. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1878 election The Canadian federal election of 1878 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is a right-of-centre political party in Manitoba, Canada. ...

Cornish was elected as an alderman to the municipal council of Winnipeg in 1878. He was also planning to run for re-election to the provincial legislature, but died from cancer of the stomach in November.

In his history of Manitoba's legal system, Bruce MacFarlane describes Cornish as "by most accounts a brash and rude man, but extremely intelligent. Best known as the first mayor of Winnipeg, he was also decidedly anti-Catholic, anti-Metis and especially anti-Riel. [1]

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online