In July, 1872, he married Susan Wiggins, a daughter of Dr. A. V. G. Wiggins. She was a member of the Humane Society, the Women's Canadian Historical Society, and similar organizations. The couple had two sons and three daughters.[2]
Legal career
Davies read law at the Inner Temple in London. He was called to bar in England in 1866, and to the bar of Prince Edward Island a year later. He served as lead counsel for the Prince Edward Island Land Commission, which was established in 1875 to settle the problem of absentee land ownership and to provide tenants of the Island with clear title to their lands.[citation needed]
In 1877, Davies was one of the Canadian counsel who appeared on behalf of the British Government before the Halifax Fisheries Commission, appointed under the Treaty of Washington (1871) to resolve outstanding issues, including fishing rights.[1] The Commission gave an award directing the United States to pay $5,500,000 to the British Government.[3]
Davies was first elected to the House of Assembly as a Liberal in 1872 just prior to Prince Edward Island entering Canadian confederation.[1] With the issue of Confederation resolved and the land question settled as a result of Canada's promise to fund land reform and the passage of the Land Purchase Act, the major issue remaining on the island was that of school funding and whether the school system should be entirely secular and public or whether separate schools for Catholics should be permitted. The issue divided both parties, and had led to the collapse of one government.[citation needed]
Following the defeat of the Conservative government of Lemuel Cambridge Owen in 1876, Davies established a coalition government of Protestant Liberals and Conservatives with himself as Premier and Attorney-General.[citation needed] The Davies government was formed to enact a Public Schools Act which made school attendance compulsory, and created a non-sectarian public school system.[citation needed] The act was passed in 1877 and, with the issue around which the coalition had been formed having been resolved, the coalition itself began to unravel.[citation needed] Davies' government reformed the civil service and brought in financial reforms before being defeated by the Conservatives in a Motion of No Confidence in 1879.[citation needed]
In 1901, Davies was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. He was appointed Chief Justice in 1918. He was the oldest person to be appointed Chief Justice, at the age of 73 years, 172 days. Davies held the position until his death in Ottawa in 1924.[citation needed]
As of 2020, he is the last Chief Justice of Canada to have previously served in elected office. He is also, as of 2020, the only Prince Edward Islander to have served on the Supreme Court.[citation needed] The Prince Edward Island Supreme Court building in Charlottetown is named in his honour.[citation needed] Also named for him is Davies Point, at the meeting of Hastings and Alice Arms on Observatory Inlet in British Columbia; the naming was done at the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court,[6] as was also Davies Bay, at the head of Work Channel just east of Prince Rupert.[7]
^ abcdBumsted, J. M. "DAVIES, Sir LOUIS HENRY". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 15. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
1The office of Minister of Marine and Fisheries was abolished and the offices of Minister of Fisheries and Minister of Marine were created in 1930. The Minister of Marine office was a precursor to the Minister of Transport. 2From 1971 to 1976 the Minister of the Environment was also the Minister of Fisheries.
