William Douglas Balfour (1851 - 1896)

Biography

Son of David and Janet (Douglas) Balfour. The family settled in St. Catherines when William was 6. He became a teacher at age 15. In 1872 he established the St. Catherines Daily and Weekly News, and later the Amherstburg Echo. He was elected school trustee, and subsequently reeve of Amherstburg. He was elected to the provincial legislature in 1882 for the Reform Party. He became Speaker of the House in 1895, and appointed Provincial Secretary in 1896, a position which he held until his death, which occurred in the Parliament Building, Toronto.

Balfour was instrumental in the passage of legislation admitting women to the Law Society of Upper Canada and to the practice of law.

He married Josephine Brodhead, daughter of Col. T. F. Brodhead and Archange Macomb. They had the following children:

• Thornton Brodhead Balfour (1877–1936)
• Jessie Louise Balfour (b. 1879)
• Mary Wendell "Molly" Balfour (1880–1963)
• William Douglas Balfour (b. 1883)
• David Arthur Balfour (1885–1956)
• Eleanor Macomb Balfour
• Edward Blake Balfour (1890–1952)
• Josephine Archange Balfour (1891 – 1957)

Sources

• Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of York, J. H. Beers & Co., Toronto, 1907
• Josephine Archange Brodhead Balfour on Find A Grave: Memorial #134974632 - McEvoy-527 08:31, 18 March 2018 (EDT)
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• Wikipedia: William Balfour