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23-471: Sir Richard Anderson Squires KCMG (January 18, 1880 – March 26, 1940) was the Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and from 1928 to 1932. As prime minister, Squires attempted to reform Newfoundland's fishing industry, but failed at doing so. He also attempted to diversify Newfoundland's economy. However, his two tenures as prime minister were both marred by serious corruption. He lost

46-467: A 15-month prison sentence for forgery received a one-month reduction in his sentence for the immaculate fresco painting work he completed at both Colonial Building and Government House . Worthy of note is the fact that the governing party had chosen to sit on the left side of the House of Assembly as opposed to the traditional right side of the speaker because that's where the heaters were located, and it

69-732: A member in the government of Edward Patrick Morris from 1913 to 1918. In 1919, Squires started a campaign for the vacant leadership of the Liberal Party . He won the leadership over William Warren . Squires won the election of 1919 over Sir Michael Cashin of the Newfoundland People's Party (later called the Liberal-Labour-Progressive Party ). He did this by forming an alliance with the Fisherman's Protective Union of William Coaker under

92-459: Is decorated with the Royal Arms sculpted in deep relief. The interior hall is screened with ionic columns supporting a quadrangular lantern dome. the two legislative chambers, each with a ceiling height of twenty eight feet, are decorated with corinthian pilasters . The whole structure was built at a cost of £18,335. In 1880 Alexander Pindikowski , a Polish fresco painter, then serving

115-470: The Colony of Newfoundland governed itself by representative government there was not a formal building assigned to house the legislature . The first home of the legislature was a tavern and lodging house on Duckworth Street owned and operated by a Mrs. Mary Travers . The stay was brief as in the legislature's haste and inexperience it forgot to vote approval for the funds to pay rent. The first building

138-413: The executive council accusing his fellow cabinet ministers of widespread corruption and Squires himself of having falsified council minutes to hide the fact that he had been receiving secret payments out of public funds. Cashin's charge inflamed a public which had already been seized by discontent due to the deteriorating economic situation in the country. On April 5, 1932, a large parade was organized by

161-552: The back. Squires was nearly caught trying to get into a cab; he got away only by running through a house on Colonial Street (near the Colonial Building) to a waiting cab on Bannerman Street. Squires had little choice but to dissolve his government and call an election , the result of which was the defeat of the Liberal government and the loss of Squires's own seat. The Liberals won only two seats out of 28. Alderdice, who

184-586: The background working on a possible return to power. In 1928, Walter Monroe resigned as prime minister and was replaced by his cousin Frederick C. Alderdice . In the election of 1928, Squires returned as Liberal leader and defeated the Conservatives. His next government started out well, seeing the election of his wife Helena Squires as the first woman to sit in the House of Assembly. However, Newfoundland

207-538: The ceilings of the two chambers. The Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development currently has its Provincial Historic Sites of Newfoundland and Labrador offices located in the Colonial Building. Since late-2005, there are also three other non-profit organizations operating from the Colonial Building, including the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL),

230-479: The failing transinsular railway operated by the Reid Newfoundland Company , finally nationalizing the railway in 1923. Squires's government was accused of using bribes to win the 1923 General Election. A cabinet minister, Dr. Alex A. Campbell , was in the centre of the scandal. Several other cabinet members demanded Campbell be forced to resign. When Squires refused they said they would cross

253-608: The few democratic institutions operating during the Commission of Government period. Order of St. Michael and St. George Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 258901111 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:51:57 GMT Colonial Building In 1832 when

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276-405: The floor . The Attorney General William Warren issued an arrest warrant for Squires. Squires was arrested and later released on bond. He then resigned as prime minister. Squires remained in the House of Assembly , as an independent member. In the next year, Newfoundland saw four governments fall. It was not until Walter Monroe won the 1924 election that stability was restored. Squires remained in

299-717: The legislative chambers, the Colonial Building contained offices, apartments for the caretaker and legislative librarian, and the Newfoundland Savings Bank. On the night of November 30, 1850, thieves broke in to the Colonial Treasurer's office through a ground floor window and stole £413 from an iron chest belonging to the Savings Bank. A £100 reward and pardon to accomplices was offered for information leading to an arrest. Two men, James Kavanagh and Michael Whelan, were caught, convicted and most of

322-470: The money was recovered. Legislative librarian Sarah Perchard eventually received the reward, after petitioning the Governor . On July 28, 1959, the provincial legislature had its last working session in the building before relocating to the newly completed Confederation Building on Prince Philip Drive. From 2010 to 2015 restoration work in the interior of building was undertaken to stabilize and restore

345-539: The name of the Liberal Reform Party . During his first government, Squires started the development of the Humber River . He also attempted many reforms suggested by Coaker. These reforms would have regulated the fishery but failed because of a collapse in fish prices which was blamed on Coaker's reforms. Squires's government attempted to diversify the economy and, to this end, financially assisted

368-474: The opposition. They marched to the Colonial Building which was the seat of the House of Assembly. There were over 10,000 people at the protest and things got out of control, leading to the 1932 Colonial Building riot . The crowd got angry when no one came out to address them. After a short while, several people managed to break into the building. Squires and government members had to escape around

391-740: The position in 1923 after an arrest for bribery. In 1932, he narrowly escaped a riot , which forced him from power, and ended democracy in Newfoundland. While Squires retired after the riot, he continued to campaign against rule by the British Crown under the Commission of Government . He died in 1940, at the age of 60. Squires was born in Harbour Grace , Newfoundland in 1880. He started out practising law in St. John's . He served as

414-433: The second session of the House's fourth general assembly. James Purcell was the main architect and Patrick Keough was the contractor. Colonial Building, built in the style of neoclassical was constructed of white limestone specially imported from Little Island , Cork , Ireland . The facade features a massive portico consisting of six ionic columns supporting an entablature triangular pediment . The pediment

437-452: Was also the site of a number of political riots and disturbances. One of those was the public protest on April 5, 1932 , for maladministration and corruption in government when all the windows were broken, doors smashed and furniture destroyed, which cost $ 10,000 to repair. The prime minister , Sir Richard Squires , barely escaped the building at that time. The building was also the site of Newfoundland's first bank robbery, in 1850. Besides

460-460: Was destroyed in city fire of 1846. For the next seventeen years they would meet in various temporary quarters including the local courthouse . In 1846 an act was approved authorizing the construction of the Colonial Building as a permanent home. On May 24, 1847, the cornerstone was laid by the Governor, Major-General Sir John Gaspar Le Marchant . The official opening of the Colonial Building took place on January 28, 1850, by Governor Le Marchant for

483-504: Was still leader of the opposition, came to power and went about putting into place a Commission of Government , ending democracy in Newfoundland until 1949, when Newfoundland joined Canada. Squires retired but always remained active in his opposition to the Commission of Government. He died at the age of 60, in 1940. At the time of his death he was Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge of British America , one of

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506-709: Was struck hard by the Great Depression ; fish prices fell and an already severe public debt worsened. In 1932 Canada refused his request to join the Canadian Confederation . Widespread unemployment caused by the Great Depression and allegations of corruption against Squires and his government along with the government's inability to deal with the economic crisis created widespread discontent and political instability. In 1932, Squires's finance minister, Peter John Cashin , resigned from

529-659: Was the warmest part of the house. To this day the ruling party in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly continues to sit on the left side of the speaker of the house . It was the site where responsible government was given Newfoundland in 1855. It was at this building that Newfoundland entered in the Commission of Government in 1934 and the location of the Newfoundland National Convention from 1946–1948 then in 1949 when Newfoundland entered into Confederation with Canada. It

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