Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/O'Connor, John (1824-1887)
O'CONNOR, JOHN (1824–1887), Canadian statesman, was born in January 1824 at Boston, Massachusetts, whither his parents had emigrated from co. Kerry in 1823. In 1828 the O'Connor family removed to Canada, and settled in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. They were agriculturists, and John O'Connor worked as a farm labourer on their land till 1823. In the winter of that year he lost his left leg owing to an accident while cutting down trees. He now became a student of law, and was called to the Canadian bar in 1854. He settled down to practice at Windsor. A conservative and Roman catholic, he took a strong part in local politics, and obtained the offices of reeve of Windsor, warden of Essex County, and chairman of the Windsor school board. In 1867 he was elected to the Canadian Legislature for Essex. In Sir John Macdonald's ministry of 1872–3 O'Connor successively held the posts of president of the council, minister of inland revenue, and postmaster-general. At the general election of 1874 he lost his seat for Essex, and remained out of the legislature till 1878, when he was chosen for Russell County. He entered the conservative government, again formed by Sir John Macdonald [q. v.], and held the posts of president of the council, postmaster-general, and secretary of state. In 1884 he was appointed puisne judge of the divisional court of queen's bench at Ontario. He died at Coburg on 3 Nov. 1887.
[Withrow's History of Canada; Rose's Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography; Canadian Parliamentary Debates.]