John Abbott (12 March 1821 – 30 October 1893) was Prime Minister of Canada from 16 June 1891 to 24 November 1892, succeeding John A. Macdonald and preceding John Sparrow David Thompson.
Biography[]
John Abbott was born in Saint-Andre, Lower Canada, and he studied at McGill University before becoming one of the best lawyers in Montreal. He later returned to McGill as a law professor and earned a Doctor of Civil Law degree, and he infamously defended the 21 captured Confederate States Army soldiers who carried out a raid on the US town of St. Albans, Vermont during the American Civil War. In 1860, Abbott was elected to the Canadian provincial legislature, and he advocated the rights of English-speaking Quebecers. In 1867, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative Party of Canada member, and he was appointed to the Senate in 1887. As Leader of the Government in the Senate, he succeeded Prime Minister John A. Macdonald after his death in office in 1891, but Abbott was forced to retire due to ill health in November 1892 and died less than a year later at the age of 72.