19th Century Canadian Member of Parliament William Bullock Ives Autographed Letter

On offer, an undated letter declining an invitation to Mr. Newsome of the Toronto Young Liberal Conservative due to a conflicting event in Montreal. Signed W.B. Ives.

William Bullock Ives (1841-1899) was a lawyer, businessman, and minister in the cabinets of Macdonald, Abbott, Thomson, Bowell and Tupper. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, he represented the electoral districts of Richmond-Wolfe from 1878 to 1891 and Sherbrooke from 1891 to 1899, and served as the President of the Privy Council and Minister of Trade and Commerce.  Prior to his election to the House of Commons, Ives worked as a lawyer and businessman in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and served on the town council and as mayor. Enterprising, outgoing, and highly regarded, William Bullock Ives was a respected jurist and a prudent businessman and member of the well-to-do English-speaking middle class of the Eastern Townships, he exemplified both the converging relationships between family, business, and politics typical of his social class in the 19th century and the transition from a regional to a national Canadian bourgeoisie.

One page letter, 5 x 6 inches. Stained over the text “Liberal” on the right side, and having anachronistic notation in the lower right corner, this piece is in Very Good condition.