Ambrose Shea

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Sir Ambrose Shea

Sir Ambrose Shea, KCMG (17 September 1815 – 30 July 1905), from Newfoundland. is considered one of the fathers of the Canadian Confederation. He was also a governor of the Bahamas.

He was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland on September 17, 1815, although baptised on May 15. His family owned a newspaper, The Newfoundlander, and he worked there for a bit before going into business by himself. He became a successful merchant, and he dealt with insurance and transatlantic steamer trade. Even when he went into politics, he continued operating his business. In 1848, he was with the Liberals, and won a seat representing Placentia - St. Mary’s. He was a supporter of responsible government, and went on to win other positions. Shea was one of the two delegates that went to the Quebec Conference, and he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Seventy-Two Resolutions. He was worried about Newfoundland’s poverty and thought that Confederation would be a good solution. However, Confederation had nothing to offer Newfoundland that judicious independence could not achieve, as Newfoundland had no francophone issues, was not interested in westward expansion, and did not need to raise a lot of money. Nor, at that time, was it wishing to build railways. It is not, therefore, surprising that, in 1859, Carter lost the election, and Confederation didn't occur until it was carried by a very small margin in 1949.