James Cockburn (1819-1883)
Text from the plaque
One of the Fathers of Confederation, Cockburn arrived in Montréal from England in 1832. Later educated in Toronto, he founded a legal practice in Cobourg, where he served on Town Council in the 1850s. He joined the Legislative Assembly of the province of Canada in 1861 as the member for Northumberland West. As a cabinet minister, he attended the Québec Conference of 1864, where delegates negotiated the terms of Confederation, later defined in the British North America Act. When the first Parliament of the Dominion of Canada convened in November 1867, he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons, a position he held until 1874.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Northumberland
The Town of Cobourg
On the south side of King Street West (Road 2)
a block west of Division Street (Road 45)
N 43 57.567 W 78 10.070
Recorded December 2017. Check current access before visiting.