Former Parliamentary Librarian

Alpheus Todd

Parliamentary Librarian 1871 – 1884

An assistant librarian at the library of the House of Assembly of Upper Canada and the Librarian of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada beginning in 1856, Alpheus Todd was a judicious choice to be the first Parliamentary Librarian when the Library of Parliament opened in 1871. In addition to being a literary expert, he was often called on to offer his opinion on parliamentary history and procedure, and authored several books on the topic.

Born in London, United Kingdom, Mr. Todd was self-educated. He received honorary degrees (LLD) from both Queen’s College in Kingston, Ontario, and McGill University in Montréal, Quebec. Mr. Todd died suddenly in Ottawa in 1884, after 13 years in office.

Noteworthy
The Library of Parliament’s information request management system is named ALPHEUS in his honour.

Successor  >
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Hometown

London, England

Professional Background

Librarian and author

Prime Ministers During Service

  • Rt. Hon. Alexander Mackenzie
  • Rt. Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald

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