O-456

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painting (portrait)

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The Honourable Sir James David Edgar

Portrait of Speaker Sir James David Edgar

Sir James David Edgar had considerable experience with railways, and his own track to elected office had many unplanned stops. He first ran for a seat in the Ontario legislature in 1871 and lost by four votes. He was elected to Parliament in 1872, then lost five elections before he was re-elected in 1884. He was born in Hatley, Quebec in 1841 and studied law before he moved to Toronto, where he was an effective organizer for the Liberal party. In Parliament he was chief party whip, then was elected Speaker in 1896. He remains the only Speaker to have died in office, in 1899, the same year Alphonse Jongers painted his portrait.

Alphonse Jongers

Alphonse Jongers was born in France in 1872 and studied art at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He moved to Montreal to set up a studio in 1895, then to New York City in 1900, where his talent for portraits earned him a glowing reputation. He moved back to Montreal in 1924, and died there in 1945. Today his work hangs in the leading galleries in Canada and the United States, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée des beaux arts in Montreal, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.