| December 13, 1804 |
Born in house close to Point Pleasant Park, overlooking
the North West Arm. |
| 1817 |
Apprentices in his father’s print shop on
waterfront. |
December 1827
|
Purchases The Novascotian |
| Feb. 2, 1828 |
Marries Susan Ann McNabb |
| 1828-1834 |
Begins his Eastern and Western Rambles. A roving
reporter, debt collector and subscription salesman, he gets to know
the people of Nova Scotia as no other has. |
Nov. 20, 1834 /
Jan 1, 1835 |
On November 20, 1834, Howe published an anonymous
letter (the work of his friend George Thompson) calling for reform
of the local establishment. This was followed by a second one on January
1, 1835, accusing the city magistrates of stealing. |
| March 2, 1835 |
Trial for Libel. Acquittal next day. |
| December 13, 1836 |
Elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.
Howe becomes speaker. |
| 1837 |
Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada put down.
|
| 1838 |
Howe travels to England with Thomas Chandler Haliburton
on sailing ship, but witness speed of steamships. Howe lobbies London
for mail to be delivered by steamship. |
| 1840 |
First Steamship service offered by Samuel Cunard.
|
| March 1840 |
Duel at Martello Tower in Halifax. Howe fires in
the air and walks away after John Halliburton fires first and misses
him. |
| 1842 |
Charles Dickens visits Halifax. Howe shows him
the city and legislature. |
| Jan 1843 |
Howe files report on status of Mi’kmaq, urging
they be given more land and more food. The government complies. |
| 1844-46 |
Howe resumes editorship of The Novascotian
and Morning Chronicle. |
| 1847 |
Howe’s Reform party wins a majority of seats
in the Legislature. |
| 1848 |
1848 TheTories are voted out of power and the Reform
Party is installed. It is the first responsible government in British
North America. J.B. Uniacke is premier. Howe is Provincial Secretary. |
| 1848-49 |
Reformers begin to “reform” government.
Howe pushes for public education. |
| 1848-50 |
Howe presses London hard for railway. |
| 1851 |
London supports partial funding for railway. |
| 1854 |
Howe becomes Railway Commissioner and starts building
the Nova Scotia Railway. |
| 1855 |
Howe travels to the United States to recruit soldiers
to fight for the British in the Crimean War. Irish Americans are recruited,
but they think they’re coming for the Nova Scotia Railway, not
the Nova Scotia Regiment. This leads to sectarian controversy and
some violence. |
| 1855 |
Howe loses his seat, for the first time. He’s
defeated by Charles Tupper. |
| 1857 |
The continuing divisions between the Catholics
and the Protestants over Howe’s speeches undermine support for
the Liberal Reformers in the house of Assembly. They are defeated.
The Tories are elected. |
| 1860 |
Reform wins next election narrowly. Howe becomes
Premier for the first time. |
| 1863 |
Howe and Reformers lose the election. Tory Charles
Tupper becomes Premier. Howe will never again sit as an MLA in Nova
Scotia. |
| 1864 |
Howe accepts appointment as Fisheries Commissioner. |
| Sept 1864 |
The Charlottetown Conference is originally convened
to discuss Maritime Union. But delegates arrive from Upper and Lower
Canada to win over the Maritimers to the idea of Canadian Confederation.
Howe was invited but could not attend because of his Fisheries obligations. |
| Jan 1865 |
Howe finally speaks out on Confederation. He is
opposed. He publishes the Botheration Letters explaining his concerns.
|
| 1866 |
Howe leads the anti-Confederation battle. He goes
with a delegation to London to lobby against the Act of Union. |
| 1867 |
Tupper brings Nova Scotia into Confederation. He
refuses to hold an election or referendum on the issue, aware of the
large number of Nova Scotians who are opposed to it. |
| September 18, 1867 |
The first Federal election for Canada. In Nova
Scotia, 18 out of 19 seats go to the Anti-Confederates. Howe is one
of them. When a provincial election is held, 36 out of 38 seats are
won by Anti-Confederates. Howe and his caucus go to Ottawa to lobby
to have the British North America act revoked by London. |
| August 1868 |
Sir John A. MacDonald travels to Nova Scotia to
negotiate better terms for the province in Confederation. |
| Fall 1868 |
Howe struggles with dilemma. How hard can he bargain
when it looks as if Confederation is inevitable? His anti-confederate
caucus considers him a traitor. |
| January 1869 |
London refuses to revoke the BNA Act. Howe accepts
defeat. He joins John A. MacDonald’s cabinet. He accepts position
as Minister responsible for Provincial Affairs. He goes to Manitoba
to try to ease that province’s entry into Confederation. His
recommendations are ignored. |
| 1872 |
Howe’s health begins to fail. He openly criticizes
John A. MacDonald. |
| 1873 |
MacDonald appoints Howe Lieutenant Governor of
Nova Scotia. |
| June 1, 1873 |
Joseph Howe dies at Government House, three weeks
after taking office. |
