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Sir James Pliny Whitney ( October 2 , 1843 – September 25 , 1914 ) was a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario . Whitney was a lawyer in eastern Ontario, Conservative member for Dundas from 1888 to 1914 , and Premier Of Ontario from 1905 to 1914 . Whitney became leader of the party in 1896 taking it from a narrow, bigoted rump into a forward-looking party determined to build the province. In the 1905 Election , he led the Tories to victory for the first time in 33 years by defeating the Liberal government of George William Ross . Whitney's government laid the basis for Ontario's industrial development by creating the Hydro-Electric Power Commission Of Ontario , with Sir Adam Beck as its chairman and driving force. His government also passed the Workmen's Compensation Act and enacted Temperance legislation. He also appeased the anti- Catholic , anti- French-Canadian sentiments of supporters of the Orange Order in his caucus (such as George Howard Ferguson ) by passing Regulation 17 . This regulation banned the teaching of French in schools beyond the first three years of school. The measure inflamed French-Canadian opinion across Canada, particularly in Quebec , and split the country as it entered World War I . Whitney died in office shortly after winning the 1914 Election . EXTERNAL LINKS
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