Augustus F. Goodridge

Who was Augustus F. Goodridge?

Augustus Frederick Goodridge was a Newfoundland merchant and politician. Born in Devon, Goodridge arrived in Newfoundland when he was 13 and worked in his father's business and later became a fish merchant in St. John's. A Conservative, he was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1880 becoming leader of the Conservatives in 1884. From 1885-1889 he served in the conservative Protestant Reform Party government of Sir Robert Thorburn. The Reform Party collapsed and Thorburn went into opposition as leader of the new Tory Party.

Goodridge's Tories lost the 1893 election to the Liberals led by Sir William Whiteway. However, the Tories complained that Whiteway's Liberals had promised jobs to Newfoundlanders who voted for him and filed petitions in the Supreme Court under the Corrupt Practices Act against fifteen Liberal members of the House alleging bribery and corruption. The members were tried and found guilty and their seats were declared vacant.

In April 1894, in the midsts of the trials, Whiteway attempted to dissolve the House of Assembly and call new elections. Instead, Governor Sir Arthur Murray refused Whiteway's requested and instead appointed Goodridge as the new Premier despite the fact that Goodridge's Tories were outnumbered by Liberals in the House of Assembly. In order to prevent the Tories from being defeated by a Motion of No Confidence, Murray repeatedly prorogued the House before a vote could be held. Regardless of this assistance by the governor, Goodridge's Tory Party government was short lived due to a mounting political and economic crisis and resigned on December 12, 1894 after the collapse of two banks.