John Nesbitt Kirchhoffer

Who was John Nesbitt Kirchhoffer?

John Nesbitt Kirchhoffer was a Canadian politician.

Born in Ballyvourney, County Cork, Ireland, the son of the Reverend Richard B. Kirchhoffer, Rector of Ballyvourney Parish, he was educated at Marlborough College and came to Canada in 1864. Kirchhoffer served as an Ensign in the Fenian raids in 1866 and subsequently was Captain of one of the Companies of the Port Hope Battalion. He was called to the Ontario Bar in October 1871 and practiced law in Port Hope, Ontario with his uncle, Nesbitt Kirchhoffer.

He moved to Manitoba in 1883, and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1884. Kirchhoffer founded the town of Souris, Manitoba and the Plum Creek settlement, and served as Reeve and Mayor of Souris. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1886 to 1888 representing Brandon West. Kirchhoffer also served on the Western Judicial District Board, representing Brandon and Dennis counties. He was called to the Senate on December 16, 1892 on the advice of John Sparrow David Thompson representing the senatorial division of Selkirk, Manitoba. A Conservative, he was Chairman of the Senate Divorce Committee in 1895 and 1896, and of the Senate Contingent Committee in 1897.