James Domville

Domville was the son of a British major-general, also named James Domville. In 1858 James, Jr., went to Barbados, where his father commanded a regiment.[1] He was educated at the Royal Military Academy and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the New Brunswick militia, commanding the 8th Princess Louise New Brunswick Hussars Cavalry Regiment.

Domville was involved in a great number of business interests. He imported tea and other goods from the British West Indies. He was invested in iron works, rolling mills, and nail factories.[1] Domville was also a member of the board of Globe Mutual Life Assurance and of Stadacona Fire and Life Insurance, and director and president of Maritime Bank of the Dominion of Canada. He was a member of the council of the Dominion Artillery Association, a fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute, London, was president of the Kings County Board of Trade, and was chairman of the delegation from Saint John, at the Dominion Board of Trade, Ottawa, in 1871.[1]

Domville represented King's in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1882 as a Conservative. Domville came to disagree with his party's protectionist policies – a matter which led to a physical confrontation with caucus-mate Arthur Hill Gillmor. These policies were unpopular enough with his constituents that he lost his seat in 1882, leading to his split with the Conservative Party of Sir John A. Macdonald. He would run several times unsuccessfully as an independent candidate, but when he returned to parliament from 1896 to 1900 it was as a Liberal.

Domville was also a Saint John city alderman for a time, during which he was instrumental in the establishment of the city's public library. In 1903 he was appointed to the Senate by Wilfrid Laurier, where he served until his death.

• James Domville – Parliament of Canada biography
• Peter J. Mitham, James Domville, in Canadian Dictionary of Biography online, 2004