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.

In this in-depth examination of Bond’s political activity, James Hiller explores the stakes, the rivalries and the competing visions at play during the period, and he highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the man who was often at or near centre stage: Robert Bond, politician, leader and Newfoundland patriot.

James Hiller came to Newfoundland as a graduate student in the mid-1960s and became a member of Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Department of History in 1972. He retired as a University Research Professor in 2007 and was appointed professor emeritus in 2010. In 2011, Dr. Hiller received the Newfoundland and Labrador Historical Society’s Heritage Award. He has been widely recognized for his contributions to the history of both Newfoundland and Labrador.

James K. Hiller's profile page

• Long-listed, Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award
• Joint winner, Heritage and History Book Award

"[A] comprehensive, splendidly documented, and very detailed study"

Patricia E. Roy, The Canadian Historical Review

"Jim Hiller's biography of Robert Bond brings together elements of the story of Newfoundland's best known pre-Confederation prime minister that have been scattered through other works over the past four decades."

Ed Hollett, The Sir Robert Bond Papers