George Edwin King

Who was George Edwin King?

George Edwin King was a New Brunswick lawyer, politician, jurist, and the second and fourth Premier of New Brunswick in the Canadian Confederation.

King attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he received a B.A. in 1859 and a M.A. in 1862. He was elected to the first provincial legislature of the new Canadian Confederation in 1867 and served in the Confederation Party government as minister without portfolio. When Andrew R. Wetmore resigned, the Confederation Party became the Liberal-Conservatives and King became Premier in 1870. Some members of his caucus felt he was too close to the federal Conservatives of Sir John A. Macdonald and King was maneuvered out of the leadership by George L. Hathaway with King taking a position in the new cabinet. When Hathaway died in 1872, King became Premier for a second time serving until 1878. One of King's major accomplishments was the Common Schools Act of 1871 which implemented a single, tax supported public school system.