# David Mills (Canadian politician)

David Mills, PC (March 18, 1831 – May 8, 1903) was a Canadian politician, author, poet and puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
He was born in Palmyra, in southwestern Upper Canada (now Ontario). His father, Nathaniel Mills, was one of the first settlers in the area. Mills served as superintendent of schools for Kent County from 1856 to 1865. He then attended the University of Michigan School of law, graduating with honors in 1867 with an LL.B degree.
He published The Present and Future Political Aspects of Canada in 1860 and The Blunders of the Dominion Government in connection with the North-West Territory in 1871.
Mills was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1867 federal election and re-elected in four subsequent votes until being defeated in the 1882 election. He was an opponent of dual representation (the practice in which someone could simultaneously be a member of parliament as well as a member of the Ontario or Quebec legislature. He unsuccessfully introduced a private member's bill to abolish this practice, and continued to advocate for this until it was abolished in 1873.
During the debates surrounding the creation of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1875, Mills was one of the few exceptions who opposed granting the court jurisdiction over provincial law, as he viewed it as contrary to Canada's federalist structure.
He returned to Parliament through an 1884 by-election. He was re-elected in subsequent elections until his defeat in the 1896 election despite this being the election that brought the Liberals back to power.
He served as Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet of Alexander Mackenzie from 1876 to 1878. Sir Wilfrid Laurier appointed Mills to the Senate of Canada after he lost his Commons seat in 1896, and appointed him to Cabinet as Minister of Justice and Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate. He resigned from the Senate and Cabinet in 1902. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 8, 1902, and served on the Court for one year until his death in 1903.

## Electoral record

1867 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 1,333 |
| | Conservative | David Glass | 1,224 |
| Source: Canadian Elections Database |||||||
1872 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 1,727 |
| | Unknown | C. R. Atkinson | 1,135 |
1874 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 1,600 |
| | Unknown | ? Dobbyn | 1,137 |
Mr. David Mills was appointed Minister of the Interior and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, 24 October 1876:
By-election on 15 November 1876 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 1,650 |
| | Unknown | James Dawson | 1,142 |
1878 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 1,852 |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Joseph Hawkins | |
| Source: Canadian Elections Database |||||||
1882 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | John Joseph Hawkins | 1,520 |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 1,504 |
Election declared void Mr. J.J. Hawkins was declared not duly elected and was unseated by judgement of Supreme Court. The seat was awarded to his opponent, 25 February 1884:
By-election on 25 February 1884 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | acclaimed |
1887 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 2,182 |
| | Conservative | Geo. M. D. Mitchell | 2,161 |
1891 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Candidate | Votes |
| Liberal | David Mills | 2,006 |
| Conservative | G. R. Langford | 1,456 |
| Unknown | A. McLartey | 1,088 |
1896 Canadian federal election: Bothwell :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | James Clancy | 2,587 |
| | Liberal | David Mills | 2,528 |