Adam Crooks (politician)

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Adam Crooks
Adam Crooks, 1872[1]
Ontario MPP
In office
1875–1883
Preceded byAdam Oliver
Succeeded byGeorge Atwell Cooke
ConstituencyOxford South
In office
1871–1874
Preceded byJohn Wallis
Succeeded byRobert Bell
ConstituencyToronto West
Personal details
Born(1827-12-11)December 11, 1827
West Flamboro, Ontario
DiedDecember 28, 1885(1885-12-28) (aged 58)
Hartford, Connecticut
Political partyLiberal
OccupationLawyer

Adam Crooks, QC (December 11, 1827 – December 28, 1885) was an Ontario Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Toronto West from 1871 to 1874 and moved to the riding of Oxford South from 1875 to 1886.

Background

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Crooks was born in West Flamboro, Ontario and the son of James Crooks & Jane Cummings. He studied at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto. During his time in Toronto, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1851. Crooks married Emily Ann C. Evans in 1857. Their child, Lawrence Ogden Crooks, was born in 1858.[2] During the early 1860s, Adam Crooks successfully appealed a lower court decision against the Commercial Bank of Canada before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England.[3] In 1863, he was named Queen's Counsel. Near the end of his life, he suffered from problems with his physical and mental health and was forced to retire from public life. He died in Hartford, Connecticut.

Politics

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He served as Attorney General from 1871 to 1872 and provincial treasurer from 1872 to 1877. Crooks played a major role in developing the 1876 liquor licence act, also known as the Crooks Act, which attempted to control the sale of alcohol within the province. He also served as the first Minister of Education in Ontario, appointed in 1876, after the retirement of Rev. Dr. Egerton Ryerson, who was Chief Superintendent.[4]

Electoral history

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1871 Ontario general election: Toronto West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Adam Crooks 1,487 53.05 +10.31
Conservative John Wallis 1,316 46.95 −10.31
Turnout 2,803 51.84 −1.10
Eligible voters 5,407
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +10.31
Source: Elections Ontario[5]
Ontario provincial by-election, January 1872: Toronto West
Ministerial by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Adam Crooks 884 97.14 +44.09
Independent Mr. Harman 26 2.86  
Total valid votes 910 100.0   −67.53
Liberal hold Swing +44.09
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[6]: 482 
1875 Ontario general election: Toronto East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Matthew Crooks Cameron 1,849 53.83 +1.27
Liberal Adam Crooks 1,579 45.97 −1.47
Independent R.M. Allen 7 0.20  
Total valid votes 3,435 54.42 +2.16
Eligible voters 6,312
Conservative hold Swing +1.37
Source: Elections Ontario[7]
Ontario provincial by-election, September 1875: Oxford South
Previous election voided
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Adam Crooks 1,612 54.39
Conservative B. Hopkins 1,352 45.61
Total valid votes 2,964
Liberal hold Swing –
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario[6]: 278 
1879 Ontario general election: Oxford South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Adam Crooks 1,775 66.73 +12.34
Independent Mr. Brown 835 31.39  
Independent Mr. Markham 50 1.88  
Total valid votes 2,660 48.33
Eligible voters 5,504
Liberal hold Swing +12.34
Source: Elections Ontario[8]

References

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  1. ^ Adam Crook, Library and Archives Canada, 1872
  2. ^ Wheeler, William Ogden (1907). The Ogden family in America, Elizabethtown branch and their English ancestry : John Ogden, the Pilgrim, and his descendants, 1640-1906 ... Printed ... by J.B. Lippincott Co. OCLC 191114217.
  3. ^ The Commercial Bank of Canada v The Great Western Railway Company of Canada [1865] UKPC 30, (1865) 3 Moo PC NS 295; 16 ER 112 (27 July 1865) (on appeal from Canada)
  4. ^ "Adam Crooks". Archives of Ontario. December 18, 2010. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010.
  5. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1871. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Roderick (1968). Centennial Edition of a History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario, 1867–1968. OCLC 1052682.
  7. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1879. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
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Preceded by Treasurer of Ontario
1872–1877 		Succeeded by
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