Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley (May 8,1818-June 25,1896) was a Canadian politician. Tilley was descended from United Empire Loyalists on both sides of his family. A pharmacist, he went into business as a druggist.

Born in Gagetown, New Brunswick, Tilley was the son of Thomas Morgan Tilley, a storekeeper, and Susan Ann Peters. On May 6, 1843 he married Julia Ann Hanford in Saint John, New Brunswick. Together with her, they had eight children. Hanford died in 1862. On October 22, 1867, he married Alice Starr Chipman in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and they had two children, including future New Brunswick permier Leonard P. D. Tilley.

Tilley was an activist in the temperance movement and this brought him to politics. He became an advocate for responsible government as a result of the 1848 recession which was caused, in part, by Britain's economic policies. Tilley joined the New-Brunswick Colonial Association which advocated that the colony have control over its public expenses, that a public school system be established, government control of public works and "honest government".

First elected to the New Brunswick Assembly as a Liberal in 1850 he sat in opposition until the 1854 election swept the reformers to power. Tilley became Provincial Secretary in the government of Richard Fisher

He attended both the Charlottetown and Quebec City Conferences as a supporter of Canadian Confederation. He served as Premier of the colony of New Brunswick from 1861 until his government was defeated in the election of 1865. As Premier he supported the New Brunswick's entry into Confederation and the construction of an inter--colonial railway.

Tilley entered federal politics with Confederation in 1867 and served in the federal Macdonald Cabinet as Minister of Customs He became Minister of Finance in 1873 until the defeat of the government later that year. He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick in 1873 and served until 1878 When Macdonald's Tories returned to power in 1878, Tilley again became minister of finance and served until his retirement from politics in 1885 to become Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick for a second term until 1893.

He is interred in the Fernhill Cemetery in Saint John, New Brunswick.

External link

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online