Thomas Birkett

Thomas Birkett (February 1, 1844 – October 21, 1920) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1891 and a member of the House of Commons of Canada representing Ottawa City from 1900 to 1904.

Early life and marriage Birkett was born in Bytown (today known as Ottawa), Canada West in 1844, After Melissa's death, he married Henrietta Gallagher, Melissa's stepsister, in 1904.

Political career Birkett first entered into politics in 1867 when he was elected to the Ottawa school board. He served on the school board until 1871. In 1873 he was elected as alderman for St. George's Ward on the Ottawa City Council, an office he held until 1878.

Mayor of Ottawa (1891) On January 5, 1891, Birkett was elected to a one-year term as mayor of Ottawa, defeating Pierre St. Jean, mayor of Ottawa from 1882-1883. His term as mayor was short-lived and punctuated by economic strife. The city plunged into a five-year recession from 1891-1896. Although unable to improve the city's economic standing, he played a central role in establishing the Lady Stanley Institute for Trained Nurses; the first nursing school in Ottawa. In 1900, he decided to run for the Conservative Party. His election campaign was overshadowed by allegations of corruption during his time as mayor. Napoléon Belcourt claimed Birkett had purchased shares in the Ottawa Electric Railway, the company that owned Ottawa's streetcar network, at a reduced cost during the time the company's application was under consideration by the city. Birkett denied wrongdoing, noting that he purchased stock in the company from another private individual. The matter was quietly dropped after Belcourt was shown to have engaged in corruption himself and Birkett was elected without further issue. He was also a long-time member of the Masonic Order Formally, it housed the Japanese Embassy, Heritage Canada, and the Boy Scouts of Canada. He is buried at Beechwood Cemetery.