First elected to Newfoundland’s House of Assembly in 1882, Robert
Bond served as a member of government and opposition—and notably
as prime minister—in an era filled with challenges that still
resonate today. During three turbulent decades, St. John’s burned
down, the banks failed, and the drive for economic diversification
caused difficult problems (and included railway building, the century’s favoured mega-project). As for external affairs—Bond struggled
to negotiate reciprocity with the United States, to navigate tricky
issues concerning the French Shore and to deal successfully with imperial
powers in London whose priorities could vary greatly from
those in Newfoundland.