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In 1854 Samuel Leonard Tilley became Provincial Secretary, a job that was the equivalent of managing the entire province, responsible for monetary management and distribution of all aspects of government policy from roads and bridges to schools and general trade. As a result of this position, Tilley suffered his first serious setback politically in 1855-1856. His prohibition bill promised sweeping reforms and severe penalties for violation including arbitrary arrest and detention. Opposition was so violent his home was attacked and serious threats were made upon his life. At that point the Lieutenant Governor John Henry Thomas Manners-Sutton dissolved the assembly. In the elections that followed, Tilley lost his seat.

A year later, however, the provincial government fell yet again and Tilley and his colleagues were swept back to power. As a measure of confidence in his political career, he moved Julia and the children to Fredericton to be near him when the Legislature was in session. Tilley was once again appointed Provincial Secretary, a post he would hold for the next eight years and which would launch his career into heights he had never envisioned.

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Photograph: Legislative Building, Fredericton, New Brunswick
1865-1870
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada


Credits:
New Brunswick Museum