Meet the 'raconteur' who gave Tucker Park to the people of Saint John

"I give, devise and bequeath my farm on Sand Point Road in the city of Saint John, in the province of New Brunswick, for use as a park to be called 'Tucker Park.'"

With those words at the top of his will, Lt. Col. Joseph Tucker, announced his intentions for the 400-acre parcel of land he owned on the Kennebecasis River.

Tucker was a larger-than-life character, described as a "raconteur" after his death by his newspaper, the St. John Telegraph.

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Now the city considers sellingsome of that parkland to private developers as part of a 'smart growth' strategy to raise money and increase the city's population.

But some argue Tucker's legacy should be partof the debate.

"Tucker Park and Rockwood Park are green spaces, not excess land with neglected or vacant buildings," resident BrianMacDonaldwrote in a letterto Mayor Don Darling and city councillors this week.

"The intention of Colonel Tucker was that the land be used as a public park for the citizens of Saint John."

World traveller

Tucker travelled the world and amassed"considerable wealth through successful speculation" prior to his death in 1914 at the age of 82.

He served in both the Crimean War and with the Shanghai Volunteer Force during a 20-year stint as Lloyds chief surveyor for the Far East.

Upon his return to New Brunswick, he became a militia major with the St. John Fusiliers, president of the St. John Telegraph newspaper, and founding president of the Union Club.

He was twice elected the city's member of parliament as a Liberal and he never married.

When he died in 1914, his fortuneamounted to $657,930 which would be $15.8 million today, based on an online inflation calculator.

Tuckers intentions for the Kennebecasis land were later reinforced when his niece, Caroline Tucker, placed $10,000 in municipal bonds into the hands of trustees for the "maintenance and improvement" of Tucker Park.

The trusteeship was formalized by an act of the New Brunswick Legislature in April 1927.

Earlier this week, the same fund was shown in the city's consolidated financial statements to contain $255,627.

Farmland now owned by UNB

In 1965, 87 acres of the original farm was turned over to the University of New Brunswick for its Saint JohnTucker Park Campus.

"Colonel Tucker was an extraordinary individual, he lived a really varied life," said MacDonald, who is working to help establish a recreation association for the park.

You have someone like him with his background, his leadership and his world perspective on things, and he identifies this area as a place for a park? Yeah, that's what he meant it to be.- Brian MacDonald

MacDonald is deeply troubled by the direction the city appears to be taking when it comes to the Tucker Park land.

He saidthe association could "provide vision, provide hopefully a program, and a lot of sweat equity."

"And in that way it's the people of Saint John investing in the park and taking ownership," he said.