早期生涯

阿伯特于1854年取得麦吉尔大学的民法学学位，其后成为一名出色的律师。他亦是蒙特利尔英语社区的重要支柱，更于1887年至1889年其间出任该市市长。

阿伯特曾经长时间担任国会下议院议员。1887年，他获委任为国会上议院议员，并加入当时总理麦克唐纳政府的内阁，出任不管部部长。他另于1887年5月12日至1893年10月30日其间出任国会上议院政府领袖一职。凭着其出色的法律及行政才能，阿伯特迅速成为政府的领导人物之一。

出任总理

1891年，总理麦克唐纳于任内病逝。面临分裂的保守党希望阿伯特能够接掌总理一职，阿伯特只好在不情愿的情况下接受这个请求。在他十八个月的任期内，尽管爆出丑闻，阿伯特仍然致力复兴政府和保守党，并处理上任政府遗留下来的工作。阿伯特其中几项政绩包括：改革公务员制度、修订刑事法则、跟美国签订互惠条约。另外，在他任内一共有五十二次补选，其中四十二次均由保守党胜出，令到保守党以十三席之差继续成为多数党。这些胜利无可置疑是加拿大国民对阿伯特作为加拿大总理一职的肯定。

最后日子

阿伯特在出任总理一年后尝试将总理一职交予信奉罗马天主教的约翰·斯帕洛·戴维·汤普森，但是因为受到有宗教偏见的保守党核心小组反对而未能成事。1892年，罹患初期脑癌的阿伯特因为健康逐渐衰退，被迫退出政坛，而约翰·汤普森最终成为新一任加拿大总理。阿伯特在退休不足一年后病逝，享年七十二岁。他被安葬于魁北克省蒙特利尔皇家山公墓。

琐事

• 阿伯特最常作出的政治评论是：“我讨厌政治（I hate politics）”。
• 位于魁北克省圣安‧迪‧美景（Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue）的约翰·阿伯特学院是以他的名字来命名的。阿伯特曾经在当地拥有一间渡假屋。

外部链接

• 阿伯特的传记（来自加拿大人传记网上字典） （英文）
• 约翰·阿伯特的传记（来自加拿大国会图书馆） （英文）

Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, PC, KCMG, QC (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, Freemason, who served as the third prime minister of Canada (and its first native-born one – both Macdonald and Mackenzie having been born in Scotland), in office from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party.

Abbott was born in what is now Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec. He studied law at McGill University and became one of Montreal's best-known lawyers, later returning to McGill as a professor of law and earning a Doctor of Civil Law degree. He was perhaps best known for his successful defence of the perpetrators of the St. Albans Raid. Abbott involved himself in politics from a young age, signing the Montreal Annexation Manifesto in 1849 – which he later regretted – and winning election to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1860. In the lead-up to Confederation he was a prominent advocate for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers.

In the 1867 federal election, Abbott was elected to the new House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Conservative Party. A telegram leaked from his office played a key part in the Pacific Scandal of 1873, which led to the downfall of John A. Macdonald's first government. Abbott was appointed to the Senate in 1887, in order to become Leader of the Government in the Senate. He became prime minister in June 1891 following Macdonald's death in office. Abbott was 70 years old at the time, and served only until November 1892 when he retired due to ill health. He died the following year.