Joseph Howe, journalist, politician, premier and lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia (b at Halifax 13 Dec 1804; d there 1 June 1873).
Taking over the Novascotian in 1828, Howe quickly made it the leading provincial newspaper. Originally defending the political status quo, he gradually became convinced through personal experience that serious ills abounded throughout the government.
Charged with criminal libel in 1835 for criticizing local government officials, he was acquitted in the province's most celebrated trial.
He entered politics in 1836 and was primarily responsible for the election of a majority of Reformers (Liberals). A conservative Reformer, he entered a coalition with the Tories in 1840, hoping to achieve his aims step-by-step.
Having failed, he prepared the way for the Reformers' success in the election of 1847. As a result, Nova Scotia secured RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT in February 1848, the first colony to do so, and Howe could boast that it had been done without "a blow struck or a pane of glass broken."
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