Adam Crooks

Canadian politician
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroCanadian politician
PlacesCanada
wasPolitician
Work fieldPolitics
Gender
Male
Birth11 December 1827, Flamborough, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Death28 December 1885Hartford, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, USA (aged 58 years)
Star signSagittarius
Politics:Ontario Liberal Party
Family
Father:James Crooks
Education
University of TorontoToronto, Ontario, Canada
Upper Canada CollegeToronto, Ontario, Canada
Positions Held
member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
The details

Biography

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

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. 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. 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

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.

Electoral history

1871 Ontario general election: Toronto West
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalAdam Crooks1,48753.05+10.31
ConservativeJohn Wallis1,31646.95−10.31
Turnout2,80351.84−1.10
Eligible voters5,407
Liberal gain from ConservativeSwing+10.31
Source: Elections Ontario
Ontario provincial by-election, January 1872: Toronto West
Ministerial by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalAdam Crooks88497.14+44.09
IndependentMr. Harman262.86 
Total valid votes910100.0  −67.53
Liberal holdSwing+44.09
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario
1875 Ontario general election: Toronto East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeMatthew Crooks Cameron1,84953.83+1.27
LiberalAdam Crooks1,57945.97−1.47
IndependentR.M. Allen70.20 
Total valid votes3,43554.42+2.16
Eligible voters6,312
Conservative holdSwing+1.37
Source: Elections Ontario
Ontario provincial by-election, September 1875: Oxford South
Previous election voided
PartyCandidateVotes%
LiberalAdam Crooks1,61254.39
ConservativeB. Hopkins1,35245.61
Total valid votes2,964
Liberal holdSwing
Source: History of the Electoral Districts, Legislatures and Ministries of the Province of Ontario
1879 Ontario general election: Oxford South
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalAdam Crooks1,77566.73+12.34
IndependentMr. Brown83531.39 
IndependentMr. Markham501.88 
Total valid votes2,66048.33
Eligible voters5,504
Liberal holdSwing+12.34
Source: Elections Ontario

References

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 22 Jul 2024. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.