John Barr (Canadian politician)

John Barr (March 4, 1843 – November 19, 1909) was an Ontario-based Canadian physician and political figure. He represented Dufferin in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1875 to 1879, from 1890 to 1894 and from 1898 to 1904 and in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1909 as a Conservative member. From 1890 to 1894, he was a member of the provincial Conservative Equal Rights Party.

John Barr
Member of Parliament for Dufferin
In office 1904–1909
Preceded by	New riding
Succeeded by	John Best
Ontario MPP
In office 1898–1902
Preceded by	William Dynes
Succeeded by	John Roaf Barber
In office 1890–1894
Preceded by	Falkner Cornwall Stewart
Succeeded by	William Dynes
In office 1875–1879
Preceded by	New riding
Succeeded by	William Jelly
Constituency	Dufferin
Personal details
Born	(1843-03-04)March 4, 1843 Elizabethtown, Canada West
Died	November 19, 1909(1909-11-19) (aged 66)
Political party	Conservative (Ontario), (1875-1902)
Other political affiliations	Conservative (Canada), (1904-1909)
Spouse	Ermina E. Palmer ​ (m. 1880)​
Occupation	Physician

He was born near Elizabethtown (later Brockville) in Canada West in 1843, the son of Irish immigrants. He graduated as an M.D. from Victoria University in 1866. Barr served as an associated coroner for Grey County. He was Deputy Master in the South Grey County Orange Lodge. Barr first set up practice in Horning's Mills but later moved to Shelburne. In 1880, he married Ermina E. Palmer. After being reelected in 1879, he was unseated after an appeal. He was later reelected several times to the provincial and federal assemblies. He died in office in 1909.

Electoral history

v t e 1875 Ontario general election: Dufferin
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John Barr	982	46.06
	Conservative	M. McCarthy	727	34.10
	Conservative	T. Armstrong	390	18.29
	Liberal	W. Parsons	33	1.55
Turnout			2,132	66.23
Eligible voters			3,219
	Liberal–Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[1]

v t e 1879 Ontario general election: Dufferin
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Barr	1,357	55.32	+2.93
	Independent	Robert McGhee	1,096	44.68
Total valid votes			2,453	58.18	−8.05
Eligible voters			4,216
	Conservative gain from Liberal–Conservative		Swing		+2.93
Source: Elections Ontario[2]

References

1. "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1875. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
2. "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 1879. Retrieved 19 April 2024.

Sources

• John Barr – Parliament of Canada biography
• The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1891 JA Gemmill
• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history