Frederick Tennyson Congdon (November 16, 1858 - March 13, 1932) was a Canadian politician, lawyer, and served as the Yukon's fourth Commissioner.
Congdon was born in Annapolis, Nova Scotia and attended Yarmouth High School. Following graduation, he received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the University of Toronto in 1879 and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1883. He then attended the Inner Temple in London to study law.
He was then an editorial writer for the Halifax Morning Chronicle between 1885 and 1887. He then practised law and lectured at Dalhousie University. In 1898, he wrote Congdon's Digest of Nova Scotia Reports.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Congdon moved to the Yukon Territory to serve as Crown Prosecutor and legal advisor to the Yukon Council. In 1903, he was appointed Commissioner.
His term in office was not looked upon with a positive feeling and it was mired by corruption and controversy. He has also been blamed for the disincorporation of Dawson City in 1904.
Only a year after his appointment, Congdon resigned so he could win the Yukon's seat in the Canadian House of Commons, which had been recently vacated by former Yukon Commissioner James Hamilton Ross, who left his seat when he was appointed to the Canadian Senate. A loyal Liberal Party member, Congdon was defeated for the seat in Parliament.
However, he did not give up hope that he would sit in the House. He finally won the seat in 1908 in a by-election, but lost it in 1911. This would be the last and only time that Congdon would serve as Member of Parliament for the Yukon.
After 1921, following yet another defeat, Congdon practised law in Toronto. He went once more for the seat, in 1926, only to suffer his last defeat. He died in Ottawa in 1932.
| Preceded by James Hamilton Ross |
Commissioner of the Yukon 1903–1904 |
Succeeded by William Wallace Burns McInnes |
| Preceded by Alfred Thompson |
Member of Parliament for the Yukon 1908–1911 |
Succeeded by Alfred Thompson |
|
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Congdon, Frederick Tennyson |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Canadian politician |
| Date of birth | November 16, 1858 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | March 13, 1932 |
| Place of death | |
Famous quotes containing the words frederick and/or tennyson:
“But since ‘tis only Fred,
Who was alive and is dead,
There’s no more to be said.”
—Unknown. On Prince Frederick (l. 11–13)
“There beneath the Roman ruin where the purple flowers grow,
Came that “Ave atque Vale” of the poet’s hopeless woe,
Tenderest of Roman poets nineteen hundred years ago,”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)