Bristol, Edmund James

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Alan Gordon, “BRISTOL, EDMUND JAMES,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 15, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bristol_edmund_james_15E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Lawyer, businessman, and politician; b. 4 Sept. 1861 in Napanee, Upper Canada, son of Amos Samuel Bristol, a physician, and Sarah Minerva Everitt (Everett); m. 21 Sept. 1899 Mary Dorothy Armour; they had no children; d. 14 July 1927 in Toronto.
    • Edmund Bristol inherited a family tradition of patriotic service to the crown. The Bristols were of English descent, but their claim to prominence rested in their status as loyalists. Edmund’s great-grandfather had fought in the American revolution, his grandfathers in the War of 1812, and his father against the Fenians.
    • After studying at Napanee’s public schools and Upper Canada College in Toronto, Bristol attended the University of Toronto to prepare for a career in law. As an undergraduate, he was elected president of University College’s Literary and Scientific Society. He received his ba in 1883 and proceeded to study at Osgoode Hall. Called to the bar on 17 May 1886, he remained in Toronto, becoming a partner in Howland, Arnoldi, and Bristol, and he began to dabble in Conservative politics. He was named a federal qc in 1896 and an Ontario kc in 1908. His marriage to Dorothy Armour in 1899 produced a connection that would significantly aid his career. His father-in-law, John Douglas Armour, was chief justice of Ontario, and his brother-in-law Eric Norman Armour became a law partner in 1902.
    • A recognized authority on corporate and international law, Bristol devoted most of his time to his practice and other business pursuits, in which he was quite successful. With offices on Victoria Street, in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, he facilitated many corporate mergers, acquisitions, and capitalizations.
    • Bristol’s political influence had been shaped during terms as vice-president and president of both the Toronto Conservative Association and the Ontario Conservative Association. In a by-election in Toronto Centre in 1905, he was returned by acclamation to the House of Commons. He would hold this riding, which became Toronto East Centre in 1925, until 1926.
    • Much of Bristol’s surviving political correspondence deals with patronage, and it is here that he becomes particularly interesting. Since Jewish and Italian constituents were proportionately over-represented in his riding, this material provides an excellent snapshot of the accommodations negotiated between them and the Anglo-Protestant bourgeoisie who controlled the political apparatus. Bristol seems remarkable for his lack of ethnic prejudice, though his tolerance may simply have been the sign of an astute politician. His tireless efforts on behalf of his Jewish, and to a lesser extent Italian, supporters played a crucial role in creating space for these groups within the Canadian polity.
    • This patronage system shone brightest in the years of fat government spending at the beginning of the Great War. Demands for military uniforms soared and much of the supply came from the Jewish garment manufacturers in Toronto Centre. Although Bristol repeatedly complained to cabinet that the Toronto faithful were not receiving their fair share of contracts, he personally negotiated the allotment of numerous orders.
  • Great Grandson of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=2653
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95612089/edmund-james-bristol