Gray, John Hamilton (politician, Prince Edward Island)

John Hamilton Gray's parents were named Robert Gray and Mary Burns. His father emigrated from Glasgow to Virginia in 1771 and was a loyalist . After the end of the war for US independence, he first moved to Shelburne, Nova Scotia , and then, in 1787, at the invitation of Lieutenant Governor of the island Edmund Fanning, to Prince Edward Island. There he married the daughter of Lieutenant George Burns, who was a significant figure in the province ^[2] .

John Hamilton Gray was educated in England , after which he was admitted to the 7th Dragoon Guard of the British Army, where he served 21 years, having spent a lot of time in India and southern Africa . He retired from service in 1852, but returned for a time in 1854 to participate in the Crimean War . Although he did not reach the scene of hostilities, he was absent from the island for about two years ^[2] .

Gray was married twice. The first wife, Susan Pinnafase, with whom he had at least two children, died in 1866 after a long illness. He entered into a second marriage in 1869. With his second wife, Sarah Carolyn Cambridge, had three more children. Recalling subsequently about the years in military service, he said that he has daughters in every quarter of the globe ^[2] .

After returning from service in 1852, he was quickly involved in the public life of the island. In 1854 he was included in the legislative council, which he left the same year due to the Crimean War. Upon his return, John Hamilton Gray defended the interests of the Protestants . His interests were religion and school education , which, like society, was divided into Protestant and Catholic ^[1] .

In 1859, Gray joined the Protestant government of Edward Palmer , and in 1863 replaced him at the post. He believed that the island's land issues could be resolved with the unification of the British colonies in North America. At the Charlottetown Conference, he was elected its chairman. At the same time, Gray did not find support among the inhabitants of the island, in addition, like many others, he believed that the island would be poorly represented in the proposed system for managing the confederation. All this, as well as his wife’s illness, led to the fact that in 1864 Gray left politics ^[1] .

He tried to return to politics in 1867, but lost this and the next election. However, by that time John Hamilton Gray was adjutant general of the island’s police. Gray's work in this post brought him greater fame than participation in conferences on unification ^[1] .

• David E. Weale. GRAY, JOHN HAMILTON . Dictionary of Canadian biographies online. Date of treatment June 1, 2010. Archived on April 27, 2012.