this case led to his meeting with Sir Wilfrid Laurier and they became best friends and confidants. Sir Wilfred introduced him on the floor of the House of Commons stating to the many lawyers elected that "here is a true lawyer". Laurier is said to have asked "Where did this Conmee come from, and how is it he can come here and teach the lawyers law?" Their friendship and collaboration continued until Conmee's death. Political career In 1878, he became a tax collector for the Municipality of Shuniah. In 1879, Conmee was elected to the municipal council representing Prince Arthur's Landing ward in the Municipality of Shuniah. In 1885 he served as the second mayor of Port Arthur, Ontario, the same year the provincial constituency of Algoma was split into Algoma East and Algoma West. He was elected to represent Algoma West in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and won every subsequent provincial election until 1904 when he switched to federal politics. Conmee ran unsuccessfully in 1896 for the Nipissing seat in the House of Commons before being elected in 1904 on a platform of supporting Sir Wilfrid Laurier's transcontinental railway policy which would bring enormous benefits to his constituency. In 1911, Conmee retired from politics due to poor health related to tuberculosis and kidney afflictions. He could see the handwriting on the wall when Laurier and the Liberal Party lost the election of 1911. The younger and more dynamic John James Carrick was sure to win the seat for the Conservatives. Conmee died in Prescott, Arizona in 1913 and was buried at Port Arthur. Legacy Conmee wrote the lyrics to a patriotic song, The national flag, with music by Henry Herbert Godfrey. This song represents one of the first "National Anthems" of Canada. Mr. Conmee was an adventurer, entrepreneur, social advocate, and inventor. He attempted to introduce the first telephone system to the Head of the Lakes (or Canadian Lakehead) He understood the potential of hydro electric power long before it became common. He worked long into the night almost every night in a locked laboratory on various gadgets and inventions including the calculating weighscale. He purchased Nun's Island near Montreal on sight recognizing the potential of the Lachine Rapids for hydro electricity. He also explicitly requested and was given title to all the waters that fed into the Falls and Rapids in order to protect the potential hydro