Sir Charles Tupper: Fighting Doctor to Father of Confederation (review)

Jock Murray and Janet Murray. Sir Charles Tupper: Fighting Doctor to Father of Confederation. Canadian Medical Lives. Hannah Institute for the History of Medicine. Markham, Ontario: Associated Medical Services, Inc., and Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1999. 155 pp. Ill. $18.95.

Canadian history is replete with heroic figures, but there have been few men or women who have successfully attained national stature in both medicine and politics. Sir Charles Tupper was one of those rare exceptions. As William Osler wrote in his obituary, "Few men have lived more vigorously, first in the rough and tumble of a large general practice in Nova Scotia and then in the turbulent area of politics. . . . His [Tupper's] life is an illustration of the brilliant success of the doctor in politics." ¹

This is not the first biography written about Sir Charles Tupper: in 1916, the Honorable J. W. Longley's biography of Tupper was published in the "Makers of Canada" series. The two men were contemporaries and close friends. Much of that book is based upon their personal communications and is focused primarily upon Tupper's stature as a Canadian politician. Unfortunately, Longley's book lacks depth and provides little perspective regarding Tupper's medical career.

Jock and Janet Murray have utilized Tupper's papers in the Nova Scotia provincial archives, along with a broad range of secondary sources, to write this biography. They describe in detail Tupper's early life in rural Nova Scotia and his formal medical education in Edinburgh, where he received excellent training and, more important, formed professional relationships that he would maintain throughout his life. He subsequently returned to Nova Scotia and established a successful medical practice, married, and eventually shifted his attention to politics. Tupper became an eminently successful politician, initially at the provincial level and then at the national level. While his role in the establishment of the Confederation of Canada and, subsequent to that, the building of a national transcontinental railroad is well known, the authors do a thorough job of highlighting the complicated politics underlying these events and Tupper's intimate involvement with them. In particular, their account of his relationships with Joseph Howe, a prominent antiunionist, and Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada's first prime minister, provides interesting insight into Tupper's influence upon the national agenda.

Tupper also had a considerable influence upon the Canadian medical political agenda. He was the first elected president of the Canadian Medical Association, and the only one in the history of this organization to serve more than one term (he served three). As well, he played a large role in the creation of the Dalhousie University School of Medicine in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, the authors do not describe Tupper's role in establishing these institutions with the same degree of depth they offer to his political successes. Rather, their medical-historical interest in Tupper is more focused upon his personal relationship with Osler.

This book was clearly written with the intention of casting a positive light upon a somewhat controversial figure. Historically, Tupper's strong personality and direct manner have tended to overshadow what was an extraordinarily successful career. Despite their bias, however, the authors have nicely captured the essence of this important Canadian.

Patrick M. Chiasson
University of Toronto

Note

1. Sir William Osler, "The Obituary of Sir Charles Tupper, Bart.," Brit. Med. J., 1915, 2: 694-95; the identical obituary was also published in Lancet, 1915, 2: 1049-50.

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