Sir Francis Hincks

Hincks, Sir Francis

Sir Francis Hincks, politician, colonial administrator (b at Cork, Ire 14 Dec 1807; d at Montréal 18 Aug 1885). He established the Toronto Examiner 1838 and the Montreal Pilot 1844. Convinced of the need for an English-French partnership in the United Province of Canada, Hincks and Robert Baldwin joined with L.H. LaFontaine in 1841 to create a Reform Party. The 3 entered the executive of Governor General Bagot in 1842 but resigned over control of patronage in 1843. Hincks became inspector general in the Baldwin-LaFontaine ministry 1848, restoring provincial credit and promoting railway construction, and replaced Baldwin as leader in 1851. Unable to deal with growing sectional feeling and tainted by railway corruption, Hincks's ministry was defeated in 1854. He was governor of 2 Caribbean colonies 1856-69. On his return to Canada in 1869, he became federal minister of finance in Sir John A. Macdonald's government and concentrated on banking and currency regulation. He left politics for business in 1874. His writings include his Reminiscences (1884).