Donald Gordon McKenzie (April 9, 1887 – May 14, 1963) was a politician in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, Canada. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

from 1928 to 1936 and was a cabinet minister in the government of

John Bracken John Bracken (June 22, 1883 – March 18, 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–19 ...

. McKenzie was born in Brandon, Manitoba, to parents who were recent settlers from Huron County,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. His father, Roderick McKenzie, was a founder and for years a prominent member of the farmers' movement in Western Canada. The younger McKenzie was educated at Brandon Collegiate and Manitoba Agricultural College, and himself worked as a farmer. He married Katie Belle Cole in 1914. He was a member of

United Grain Growers The United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain farmers' cooperative for grain storage and distribution that operated between 1917 and 2001. History In 1917, the Grain Growers' Grain Company (GGGC) merged with the Alberta Farmers' Co ...

Ltd. of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

, and secretary-treasurer of the local

United Farmers of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I. See also * List of political parties in Canada ...

division from 1922 to 1926. From April 1926 to October 1928, he served as part of an advisory board on Tariff and Taxation. Although he had no prior experience in electoral politics, McKenzie was appointed to John Bracken's government on October 22, 1928 as

Minister of Mines and Natural Resources Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. On November 10, 1928, he was elected to the Manitoba legislature in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in the constituency of

Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

, replacing former Premier

Tobias Norris Tobias Crawford Norris (September 5, 1861 – October 29, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922. Norris was a member of the Liberal Party.J. M. Bumsted"Tobias Crawford Norris" ''The Cana ...

. McKenzie ran as a "Liberal-Progressive", and was endorsed by both Bracken's Progressives and the local branch of the

Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral du Manitoba) is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870. Origins and early development (to 1883) Origina ...

. McKenzie also served as Provincial Secretary from October 22, 1928 to December 31, 1929, and as acting

Minister of Public Works This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

from March 22 to May 18, 1929. The Liberals and Progressives formed an electoral alliance in 1932, and all government members became known as "Liberal-Progressives". McKenzie was easily re-elected in Lansdowne, and appointed

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

and Power Commissioner after a cabinet shuffle on May 27, 1932. He left politics in 1936, and was named vice-president and director of United Grain Growers, Ltd. He was named Chief Commissioner of the Board of Grain Commissioners for Canada in 1942, and served in this capacity until his retirement in 1956. He died at home in Winnipeg in 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Donald Gordon 1887 births 1963 deaths Politicians from Brandon, Manitoba Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba