Fonds F552 - Allen Bristol Aylesworth fonds

Allen Bristol Aylesworth (1854-1952) was born on a farm in Camden Township, Canada West, the descendant of original U.E.L. settlers. He attended school in Newburgh and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1874. He was called to the bar in 1878 and created Q.C., 1889. As a member of the Alaska Boundary Tribunal in 1903, he won prominence when he refused, along with Sir L.A. Jette, to sign the award for reasons set forth in their Minority report.

Mr. Aylesworth was first elected to the House of Commons in 1904 and the following year was appointed Postmaster General and Minister of Labour. From 1906 to 1911 he served as Minister of Justice, resigning from political life with the defeat of the Laurier administration. In 1911 he was knighted for his services at The Hague as British agent in the North Atlantic Fisheries Arbitration and in 1923 was called to the Senate where he served until his death in 1952.