John Bell Laughlin (December 21, 1879 – August 19, 1941) 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 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 gener ...
as a Conservative representative from 1927 to 1932, and again from 1936 to 1941. His father was also a member of the assembly from 1879 to 1881.
He was born near
Miami, Manitoba
Miami is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in southern Manitoba, Canada, which was formed in 1885. It supports a K-12 school and has a curling rink and a skating rink. It lies 100 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg ...
, the son of
Andrew Laughlin
Andrew Laughlin (October 8, 1844 – March 25, 1916) was a banker and political figure in Manitoba. He represented Dufferin North from 1879 to 1881 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Conservative.
He was born in Ontario and came ...
and Rachel Bell. His parents had come to Manitoba from Ontario in 1877. Laughtlin was educated in
Cartwright
Cartwright may refer to:
* Wainwright (occupation), a tradesperson skilled in the making and repairing of carts or wagons
* Cartwright (surname), including the list of people
Places
; Australia
* Cartwright, New South Wales
; Canada
* Cartwr ...
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. He articled in law, was called to the Manitoba bar in 1905 and practised law in Cartwright. In 1909, he married Harriet Margaret McKay. Laughlin served as reeve for the
Rural Municipality of Roblin
The Rural Municipality of Roblin is a former rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was originally incorporated as a rural municipality on November 15, 1902. It ceased on January 1, 2015 as a result of its provincially m ...
. He became the solicitor for the Roblin municipality in 1920 and held this position until his death. Laughlin was also solicitor for the Bank of Toronto.
He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1927 provincial election, defeating
Progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
incumbent Andrew E. Foster by 255 votes in the constituency of Killarney. He lost to Foster by 90 votes in the 1932 election, but defeated him by 509 votes in the campaign of
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
.
The Conservative Party was Manitoba's primary opposition party during this period, and Laughlin sat with his party caucus on the opposition benches.
In 1940, the Conservatives joined with the governing
Liberal-Progressives
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no Liberal-Progressive party: it was an alliance between two parties. In Manitoba, a party existe ...
in a
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
. Laughlin became a backbench supporter of John Bracken's government, and was re-elected in the 1941 provincial election. He again defeated Andrew E. Foster, who was by this time a dissident Liberal opposing the coalition.
Laughlin died at home in Cartwright of
encephalitis
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include seizures, hallucinations, ...
several months after the election at the age of 62.
His granddaughter
Linda McIntosh
Linda Laughlin McIntosh (born December 14, 1943) is a former politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 1999, and a cabinet minister for most of this period. Among other awards and recog ...
and great-grandson Hugh McFadyen also served in the Manitoba assembly.