Yukon who is who

Frederick Tennyson Congdon (1858 - 1932)

Frederick Congdon was born at Annapolis, Nova Scotia. He completed a law degree in Toronto in 1883, practiced law in Halifax, and lectured at Dalhousie Law School. In 1901, he was appointed Legal Advisor to the Yukon Commissioner and Council.¹⁾

When Commissioner Ross was elected to Parliament in 1902, Superintendent Wood acted as Commissioner of the Yukon. Frederick Tennyson Congdon was the Yukon Legal Advisor from April to September 1901 when he resigned and joined F.C. Wade's law firm. He was vice-president of the Liberal Association and a leader in a protest against the awarding of the Treadgold Concession. He was a supporter of Ross, and the cabinet appointed Congdon to Commissioner and Chief Executive of the Yukon in 1903 on the recommendation of Ross and the Yukon Liberal Association. Congdon was in Ottawa at the time of his appointment.²⁾

Congdon did well in his position at first, supporting the Yukon Council in their ambitions to become fully elected, and supporting reforms to the mining act that favoured individual miners.³⁾ In 1904 he directed the establishment of the Yukon World newspaper over the previously loyal Yukon Sun. Liberal associations in the Yukon wrote to the Prime Minister calling for an investigation of patronage and Congdon's dismissal. Congdon's supporters were called “Tabs” for their supposed refusal to pay bribery debts after Ross's election. His opponents were called the “Steam Beers” with reference to member Tom O'Brien's occupation as a brewer. In September 1904, Congdon performed some illegal actions during a plebiscite to withdraw Dawson City's charter.⁴⁾

Commissioner Congdon had a number of liquor inspectors and special constables who were paid from North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) funds but were not controlled by the Police. When Assistant Commissioner Wood dismissed NWMP officer Falconer, Congdon had him sworn in as a Special Constable. Wood was instructed to put Falconer on the Secret Service for a time and later he was requested to pay Falconer an extra per diem. Falconer's job seemed to be to extract money for Congdon's political hopes. Gamblers paid $125 a week to be left in peace. As the 1904 election drew near, Falconer hired two ex-policemen and produced reports on the dance hall that contradicted police infraction reports. He was accused in the press of taking protection money from gamblers. Wood finally mounted a series of raids and eventually forced the gamblers out of business. The rift between Assistant Commissioner Wood and Commissioner Congdon now escalated to open hostility. In October, Congdon resigned as Commissioner to run in the 1904 federal election.⁵⁾ Congdon’s term as Yukon Commissioner was filled with corrupt practices and rivalries generated by his rough treatment of friends and opponents. His actions split the Liberal party in the Yukon and disrupted Yukon’s political progress.⁶⁾

Dr. Alfred Thompson was elected over Congdon by 600 votes in the 1904 federal election. A failed campaign for Congdon's reappointment as Commissioner lasted for five months after the election. In 1905, Laurier appointed W.W.B. McInnes as Commissioner and gave Congdon back his old job as Legal Adviser on the understanding that he would not practice law privately or dispense government patronage. Congdon resigned after McInnes resigned as Commissioner. Congdon ran, and won, the House of Commons seat in 1908. In 1911, Dr. Thompson was persuaded to run against him in the light of the defeat of Laurier's Liberals and easily won.⁷⁾ Congdon moved to Vancouver to practice law.⁸⁾ He returned to the Yukon in 1917 to run against Thompson in the 1917 election but lost when the overseas military vote went to Thompson. He ran again against George Black in 1926 and lost again. ⁹⁾