1. George Howard Ferguson was the ninth premier of Ontario, from 1923 to 1930.
16 Facts About Howard Ferguson
1. 2.
Howard Ferguson was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1905 to 1930 who represented the eastern provincial riding of Grenville.
3.
The son of Charles Frederick Ferguson, who served in the Canadian House of Commons, Ferguson studied at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall, was called to the Ontario bar in 1894 and returned to Kemptville to practise.
4.
Howard Ferguson was elected to the municipal council and served three years as reeve of Kemptville.
5.
Howard Ferguson approved the reservation of 5,000 square miles of pulpwood on crown land to the Mead Corporation, and a further 1,500 square miles to Abitibi Power and Paper Company although the Crown Timber Act required pulp limits to be sold by public tender.
6.
Howard Ferguson became leader of the Conservative Party upon the defeat of the Hearst government that year.
7.
Howard Ferguson's government encouraged private investment in industry and the development of the province's natural resources as a means of achieving prosperity.
8.
In 1911, Howard Ferguson argued in the legislature that "no language other than English should be used as a medium of instruction in the schools of this Province" although that a significant proportion of the population was French-Canadian.
9.
Howard Ferguson was prepared to pander to the Orangemen with anti-Catholic and anti-French rhetoric.
10.
When Howard Ferguson became premier, he reversed himself by moderating the legislation and allowing more French-language instruction.
11.
Howard Ferguson's government refused to extend funding for the Catholic separate schools past Grade 8.
12.
Howard Ferguson's reversal on Regulation 17 was a concession needed for his alliance with Quebec Premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau.
13.
The Howard Ferguson government opposed federal government plans for an old-age pension.
14.
In December 1930, Howard Ferguson left provincial politics to accept an appointment as Canadian High Commissioner in London.
15.
Howard Ferguson was succeeded as party leader and premier by George Stewart Henry.
16.
Howard Ferguson gave his name to the Ferguson Block, a government office building at Queen's Park in Toronto as well as the residence cafeteria at University College in the University of Toronto, which is called the Howard Ferguson Dining Hall.