James Washington Breakey (December 25, 1865 in Port Hope,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

(now

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 Ca ...

) – February 27, 1952), was a politician in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada. He was briefly the leader 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 ...

, and was subsequently a supporter of the province's Liberal-Progressive coalition government.

Biography

James Breakey was born in Millbrook, Ontario on December 25, 1865, the son of James Breakey and Susan McCormick. He was educated in Ontario and then moved to Manitoba, settling on a ''

Dominion Lands Act The ''Dominion Lands Act'' (long title: ''An Act Respecting the Public Lands of the Dominion'') was an 1872 Canadian law that aimed to encourage the settlement of the Canadian Prairies and to help prevent the area being claimed by the United Sta ...

'' homestead in Melita from 1882 to 1886. He then was partner in a mercantile business in Souris from 1886 to 1896. In 1892, Breakey married Jennie Hopkins. He served as secretary-treasurer for Souris and for the Rural Municipality of Glenwood. After working as a financial agent, Breakey was elected to 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 gener ...

in 1914, winning Glenwood for the Liberal Party. He was re-elected in the Liberal

landslide victory A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...

of 1915. The following year, he co-sponsored Fred Dixon's Workmen's Compensation Act, a version of which was subsequently enacted as law. Breakey lost to Independent Farmer William Robson in 1920. He recaptured his seat in 1922 (despite the Liberals losing most of their rural seats to the

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 ...

), and was re-elected in 1927. The Manitoba Liberals were a marginal political force following the election of 1922, having won only eight seats in a 55-member legislature. They fell to seven seats in 1927, causing some senior figures in the party to advocate a merger with the governing

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

. Hugh Robson resigned as Liberal leader in January 1930, and Breakey was chosen to lead the Liberal parliamentary group later in the month. In this capacity, he actively promoted a Liberal-Progressive union: he declined to speak in opposition to the government's 1930 throne speech, and generally attempted to ensure friendly relations between the Liberal and Progressive caucuses. Breakey stepped down as party leader in 1931, and was replaced by

Murdoch Mackay Murdoch Mackay (April 30, 1884 – 1963) was a Manitoba politician. He led the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1931 to 1932, and brought the party into an alliance with John Bracken's Progressives. Mackay was born on Boularderie Island, Nova Scotia, ...

. The Liberals and Progressives were merged into a single party shortly thereafter, and Breakey ran for re-election as a supporter of the government. He easily defeated his

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

opponent, and was re-elected in 1936 and 1941. Despite his long service in the legislature, Breakey was never appointed to cabinet. He retired from politics in 1945, at age 79. He died in Souris on February 27, 1952.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breakey, James 1865 births 1952 deaths Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs People from Souris, Manitoba