Monarch Victoria Role Elected official Name John Kent | Succeeded by Hugh W. Hoyles | |
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Died September 1, 1872, St. John's, Canada Political party Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador | ||
Preceded by Philip Francis Little Lieutenant governor Alexander Bannerman | ||
John Kent (born 1805, County Waterford, Ireland – September 1, 1872, St. John's, Newfoundland) arrived in Newfoundland in 1820 and started working for his uncle Patrick Morris.
He was elected to the first House of Assembly in 1832 as a Liberal. John Kent was a champion of Catholic rights on an island that was deeply divided along religious lines. He worked for the reform movement along with William Carson and Morris that successfully persuaded the British Colonial Office to institute responsible government in Newfoundland. Kent became Colonial Secretary under Philip Francis Little.
From 1848-55 he was Speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly. He became Premier after Little resigned in 1858. He won the election of 1859 but his government was engulfed by crisis in 1861 when it tried to lower the salary of government officials, including judges who sued the government. In the legislature Kent accused Governor Sir Alexander Bannerman and the opposition Conservatives of conspiring with the judges against the government. Bannerman responded by dismissing the Kent's government in March 1861 and installing Hugh Hoyles as Premier of a Conservative government.
The Liberals defeated the Conservative government in a Motion of No Confidence resulting in an election campaign that was fought along sectarian lines with Catholics largely voting Liberal and Protestants largely voting Conservative. The Conservative Party of Newfoundland narrowly defeated Kent's Liberals and riots erupted in Catholic Harbour Grace when the governor cancelled voting there, essentially denying the Liberals two seats in the legislature and allowing the Conservatives to have a legislative majority.