James Cockburn Day forgotten

Once again, municipal politicians have failed to jump on an excellent opportunity to promote Northumberland County and remind people of the incredible history of this area.
Monday was James Cockburn Day in Cobourg. It was established in 1999 before the province declared the August long weekend as Simcoe Day, after Sir John Graves Simcoe.
Cockburn is Northumberland's Father of Confederation and the first speaker of the House of Commons. The day is meant to celebrate local history and all the great people who made contributions to developing one of the most significant areas in the development of the country.
He was born on Feb. 13, 1819 in a small town on the English-Scottish border and immigrated to Canada when he was 13. He was fortunate enough to attend Upper Canada College and then learned law at Osgoode Hall. He came to Cobourg to establish a law practice with his good friend Darcy Boulton, another high profile Cobourg resident, who made many contributions to the town.
He was elected to town council in 1850s, but quickly moved up the ladder to become the Reform candidate for the Province of Canada West's legislative assembly. He left the reformers to join with Sir John A. Macdonald's Liberal-Conservative Party. He attended the Quebec Conference of 1864. Several high profile politicians who were involved in the Confederation efforts stayed in Cobourg during a stop over before heading on to Quebec.
After Confederation, he was elected as Speaker, serving from 1867 to 1874. By this time, he was in a great deal of financial trouble and the Speaker's job meant he was able to live comfortably.
He lost his seat in the 1874 election as part of a massive voter rejection of Macdonald and his party in light of the Pacific Scandal. He was re-elected in 1878, but was not very active. At this time, he worked on legislation, collecting and classifying Canadian statutes.
He died on August 14 1883.
It is disappointing nobody wants to celebrate this amazing man. While he was not extraordinary like Macdonald and others, he represents many of those people who make their contribution with quite dedication and resolve. Just like most of us.
It is truly sad. Not only did the town council and staff forget to publish a declaration this year, but the local media let it go by completely. Even after the local radio station was told, it did not mention the day on any news broadcasts.
The current mentality gives very little notice of history because the emphasis is on the moment. History is an important teacher. Very little is new and everything comes from something which preceded it. We run a huge risk when we forget our heritage.