Sir Adams George Archibald

  Adams George Archibald was born May 18, 1814 in Nova Scotia's central town, Truro. He received his higher education in the academy at Pictou and studied law in Prince Edward Island. He returned to the mainland and practiced law near his birthplace.

  He became involved in the struggle for responsible government. In 1851 he won election as a liberal in his home county of Colchester.

After five years' experience, he became solicitor general and, four years later, attorney general. (His second interest was education; he advocated a free system for the whole province.) When Joseph Howe retired after his defeat in 1863 by the young Dr. Charles Tupper, Archibald took his place as leader of the opposition.

  Tupper had agreed to the uniting of the Maritime Provinces, as a first step in a wider union, and arranged that the three provinces should send five delegates each to Charlottetown to discuss the possibilities. As leader of the opposition, Archibald was invited to be a delegate and continued a staunch confederationist through the ensuing conferences at Quebec and London, and entered Macdonald's first administration as secretary of state.

  In 1870, after McDougall's unfortunate experience with the Riel Rebellion, Archibald was named lieutenant governor of Manitoba and for three years labored to lay sure foundations of government in the new province.

  He returned to Nova Scotia and succeeded his old leader, Joseph Howe, as lieutenant governor, 1873-1883. He resumed his interest in educational matters, first as chairman of the board of governors of Dalhousie University and then as president of the Nova Scotia Historical Society. But politics was in his blood; he was re - elected to the commons and represented his old constituency of Colchester for three years, 1888 to 1891. He died December 14, 1892.