He was born in Tatamagouche , Nova Scotia , he was the son of the Malthusian George Drysdale . He was admitted to the bar in 1882 . In 1887 , he married Carrie Mitchell . Drysdale was first elected to the provincial assembly in an 1891 by-election held after Allen Haley was elected to the House of Commons . In 1893 , he was named King 's Counsel . Drysdale was commissioner for Public Works and Mines from 1901 to 1905 and attorney general from 1905 to 1907 . Drysdale was named to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in 1907 . In 1909 , he was named deputy judge in the Admiralty Court . Drysdale led the inquiry into the Halifax Explosion which found the '' Mont Blanc '' liable . However , judge Benjamin Russell later found that there was no evidence to support criminal charges
Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
Arthur Drysdale