James Emile Pierre Prendergast (March 22, 1858 – April 18, 1945) was a lawyer, judge and political figure 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 ...

. He represented La Verendrye from 1885 to 1888 and

Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...

from 1888 to 1892 and St. Boniface from 1892 to 1896 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 gener ...

as a

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 ...

and later

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Biography

Prendergast was born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Canada East Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...

, the son of James Pierre Prendergast and Emeline Gauvreau, and was educated at

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montmo ...

. Prendergast was called to the Quebec bar in 1881. In 1882, he came to Manitoba, was called to the Manitoba bar in 1883 and practised law in

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 749,6 ...

. In 1886, he married Olivina Mondor. He was elected to the Manitoba assembly in an 1885 by-election held after

Louis Prud'homme Louis Prud'homme (1611–1671) is remembered both as the first militia captain of Montreal and the founder of the first commercial brewery in New France in 1650. Establishment in Ville-Marie Prud'homme was one of the original settlers in Fort ...

was named a county court judge. Prendergast served in the provincial cabinet as Provincial Secretary. In 1890, he left the cabinet over the

Manitoba Schools Question The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Province of Manitoba, Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics in Canada, Roman Catholics and ...

and joined the opposition. Prendergast was mayor of St. Boniface from 1893 to 1896. He served as president of the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (french: Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste) is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic assoc ...

for Manitoba in 1886 and 1910 and for Saskatchewan in 1905 and 1909. Prendergast was a county court judge for the Northern division of the Eastern judicial district of Manitoba from 1897 to 1902; he was a judge in the Supreme Court of the North-West Territories from 1902 to 1906, a judge in the

Supreme Court of Saskatchewan The Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan (Court of Queen's Bench for Saskatchewan during the reign of female monarchs) is the superior trial court for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Structure and organization The Court consists of 29 ...

from 1906 to 1910 and a judge in the Manitoba Court of King's Bench from 1910 to 1922. He was named to the Manitoba Court of Appeal in 1922. In 1929, he became Chief Justice in the Court of Appeal; he retired from the bench in 1944. Prendergast also served in the Roman Catholic section of the Manitoba Board of Education, the council for the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.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 ...

. Prendergast also published two booklets of poems and served as co-editor of the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

newspaper ''Le Manitoba''. For his contributions to the arts, he was elected to the French Académie des muses santones in Rouen. In 1944, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory by Pope Pius XII. He died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in Winnipeg at the age of 87 and was buried in St. Boniface.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prendergast, James E 1858 births 1945 deaths Canadian Roman Catholics Judges in Manitoba Judges in Saskatchewan Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs Mayors of Saint Boniface, Winnipeg Politicians from Quebec City Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs