David Mills 1831-1903

and

The Honourable David Mills 1831-1903

There are two plaques about this gentleman in
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photos and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted September, 2011

Plaque Location

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent
In Chatham, to the right of the entrance to the
Ontario Superior Court, 425 Grand Avenue West
behind a row of trees and a raised garden bed

Coordinates: N 42 24.207 W 82 12.467

Plaque Text

Born in Orford, Upper Canada, Mills served as Superintendent of Schools for Kent County (1856-65) before entering federal politics. He represented Bothwell in the House of Commons from 1867 until he was appointed to the Senate after his defeat in the general election of 1896. He was Minister of the Interior (1876-8) and Minister of Justice (1897-1902). From 1882 to 1887 he was chief editorial writer for the influential London Advertiser. He held a chair of constitutional law at the University of Toronto from 1888 until 1902 when he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. He died in Ottawa.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted August, 2004

Plaque Location

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent
On the north side of Road 3 just east of Palmyra Road
at street number 14303

Coordinates: N 42 26.646 W 81 45.738

Plaque Text

A noted cabinet minister and jurist, David Mills was born in a house on the adjacent property, attended a local school, and studied law at the University of Michigan. Elected in 1867 to the Canadian parliament he sat as Liberal member for Bothwell until 1896, serving as minister of the interior, 1876-1878, in the Mackenzie administration, and minister of justice, 1897-1902, under Laurier. An expert in constitutional and international law, he wrote extensively on these subjects and lectured at the University of Toronto. In 1896 he was appointed to the Canadian Senate and in 1902 to the Supreme Court of Canada. He is buried in a nearby cemetery.

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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted January 18, 2011
It was a thrill to visit the second site and see a reference to the University of Michigan on a provincial marker at the same time I was a student there. I returned to Ann Arbor to urge erection of a duplicate on campus, partly in an effort to curb the severe ignorance students had of anything about Ontario, including its very name. Alas, little came of it, with the Ontario Heritage Foundation expressing low priority. Perhaps they might entertain the idea today, especially if a body (say U of M's illustrious law school) offered to sponsor a duplicate. -Wayne

Posted January 15, 2011
This is my great great Grandfather. I would love to visit one day.
Laurie Lee Mills

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