Costigan was born on February 1, 1835, inSaint-Nicolas,Lower Canada, the son of Irish immigrants John Costigan and Bridget Dunn. He was educated at Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière in Canada East from 1850 to 1852. In 1857, he became registrar of deeds and wills forVictoria County inNew Brunswick and a judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. He resigned from these posts in 1861 when he was elected to be a member of the19th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Victoria.[1][2]
On January 15, 1907, he was appointed a member of theSenate of Canada for the senatorial division of Victoria, New Brunswick. He died in office on September 29, 1916, inOttawa. He wasinterred inGrand Falls.
Mount Costigan in Banff National Park is named in his honor.
^The elections for the 19th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly took place in 1861, but Costigan did not take his seat until the Assembly's first sitting on February 12, 1862.
1The office of Minister of Marine and Fisheries was abolished and the offices of Minister of Fisheries and Minister of Marine were created in 1930. The minister of marine was a precursor to the minister of transport. 2From 1971 to 1976, the minister of the environment was also the minister of fisheries.
1The department was eliminated in 1993 when the government was reorganized. The position of Secretary of State for Canada was not legally eliminated until 1996 when its remaining responsibilities were assigned to other cabinet positions and departments, particularly the newly created position ofMinister of Canadian Heritage.
