David Mills (Canadian politician)

Hon. David Mills

David Mills, PC (March 18, 1831 – May 8, 1903) was a Canadian politician, author, poet and jurist.

He was born in Palmyra, in southwestern Ontario. His father, Nathaniel Mills, was one of the first settlers in the area. Mills served as superintendent of schools for Kent County from 1856 to 1865. He then attended the University of Michigan, graduating with honors in 1867.

He published The Present and Future Political Aspects of Canada in 1860 and The Blunders of the Dominion Government in connection with the North-West Territory in 1871.

Mills was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1867 federal election and re-elected in four subsequent votes until being defeated in the 1882 election.

He returned to Parliament through an 1884 by-election. He was re-elected in subsequent elections until his defeat in the 1896 election despite this being the election that brought the Liberals back to power.

He served as Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet of Alexander Mackenzie from 1876 to 1878. Sir Wilfrid Laurier appointed Mills to the Canadian Senate after he lost his Commons seat in 1896, and appointed him to Cabinet as Minister of Justice and Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate. He resigned from the Senate and Cabinet in 1902. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 8, 1902, and served on the Court for one year until his death in 1903.

References

• David Mills at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Selected poetry of David Mills
• David Mills - Parliament of Canada biography
• Official Supreme Court Biography

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by none	Member of Parliament from Bothwell 1867–1896	Succeeded by James Clancy
Preceded by John A. Macdonald	Senator for Bothwell, Ontario 1896-1902	Succeeded by Albert James Smith
Political offices
Preceded by Richard William Scott	Minister of the Interior 1876-1878	Succeeded by John A. Macdonald
	Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs 1876-1878
Preceded by Oliver Mowat	Leader of the Government in the Senate 1897-1902	Succeeded by Richard William Scott
	Minister of Justice 1897-1902	Succeeded by Charles Fitzpatrick
Legal offices
Preceded by John Gwynne	Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 1902-1903	Succeeded by Wallace Nesbitt

Persondata
Name	Mills, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 18, 1831
Place of birth
Date of death	May 8, 1903
Place of death