Harvey Alfred Veniot, (November 18, 1915 – October 2, 2009) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. He represented Pictou West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1974 as a Progressive Conservative member. Veniot was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, the son of Alexander R. Veniot and Gladys Maclean, and was educated at Pictou Academy,

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

, Dalhousie Law School and the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. He was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1940. Veniot married Rhoda Marion MacLeod in 1944.

Political career

Veniot served as a town councillor in Pictou from 1945 to 1946. In

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

, he was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the provincial assembly, losing to Liberal incumbent

Stewart W. Proudfoot Stewart William Proudfoot (July 31, 1908 – June 26, 1986) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Pictou West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1949 to 1956. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. ...

by 9 votes. Veniot ran again in the 1956 election, defeating Proudfoot by 88 votes to win the Pictou West riding. In 1958, he was named

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

. Veniot was re-elected in the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, and 1970 elections. Veniot served as

Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia The Speaker for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia is the presiding Officer of the House of Assembly. Keith Bain is the current Speaker of the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. The Speaker presides over the proceedings of the Assembly, maint ...

from February 1961 to April 1968. In May 1968, Venoit was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Agriculture. He was given an additional role in cabinet in July 1968 as Minister of Municipal Affairs. He was defeated when he ran for re-election in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

, losing to Liberal Dan Reid by 22 votes. Following his defeat, Veniot returned to the practice of law. In 1979, he was named judge in the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia. Veniot died on October 2, 2009. The Harvey A. Veniot Causeway carrying

Nova Scotia Highway 106 Highway 106 is a 2-lane limited-access highway located within Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The provincial government named the highway the Jubilee Highway on December 21, 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's D ...

across Pictou Harbour has been named in his honour.

References

Lumley, E ''Canadian Who's Who 2002''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veniot, Harvey A. 1915 births 2009 deaths Schulich School of Law alumni Judges in Nova Scotia Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia municipal councillors People from Pictou County Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Speakers of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly St. Francis Xavier University alumni Canadian King's Counsel 20th-century Canadian politicians