Halifax Public Libraries

Charles Tupper (1821-1915) lived on an estate named Armdale near the Northwest Arm of Halifax. He was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, in 1821, and became a doctor and then a politician, representing Cumberland County in the Legislative Assembly in 1855. Tupper led the Conservative Party and became Premier of Nova Scotia in 1864, where he soon proposed the idea of Maritime Union to the Nova Scotia Legislature.

Tupper led the Nova Scotia delegates to all three Confederation Conferences where he shifted his support for Confederation, believing “In Unity, there is Strength!" He argued Confederation would strengthen the economy and fortification of the British North American colonies. Tupper saw an opportunity for local manufacturers to sell to a newly expanded Canadian market and was determined to build the Intercolonial Railway. Many opponents felt that he had “bludgeoned” Nova Scotia into Confederation. After Confederation, the Anti-Confederate Party was voted into power and Tupper moved to federal politics, where he became Prime Minister of Canada for the short term of ten weeks.

Date: [19--]

Reference: Halifax Public Libraries Postcard Collection Halifax Central Library HPL-PC-0303

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