Commentary
Prince Edward Island’s entry into Confederation, which did not occur until 1873, was delayed by a rough-edged, self-educated hot-head and brawler, a farmer, brewer, and distiller with a penchant for duelling “with sword or pistol.” George Coles’ curious dark energy helps explain why the Cradle of Confederation”—it was P.E.I. that hosted the 1864 Charlottetown Conference that launched the negotiations—did not actually join Confederation until nine years later, when the Dominion was six years old.
Twice on the colony’s bumpy road to union, Coles, an islander born and bred, threatened a duel to the death. First, on the evening of June 21, 1851, though premier of the colony, he matched pistols with Edward Palmer, the lanky Tory opposition leader nicknamed “Neddy Longlegs.”…