John Campbell Elliott, (August 25, 1872 – December 20, 1941) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
lawyer and politician.
Early life
He was born in
Ekfrid, Ontario, the son of George Elliott and Jane Campbell. He was educated at the
University of Trinity College
Trinity College (occasionally referred to as The University of Trinity College) is a college federated with the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Strachan originally intended Trinity as a university of strong Angl ...
in the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
, studied law at
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is named for William Osgood ...
and was called to the bar in 1896.
Career
J. C. Elliott was first elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1908 as the
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...
(MLA) for the
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
area
riding of
Middlesex West
Middlesex West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Midd ...
and a member of the
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser since August 2022.
The party espouses the principles of li ...
. The Liberals were out of government for the entire time Elliott was an MLA. In 1919, he ran in the first
Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention, coming in a poor third, and left provincial politics shortly afterwards.
Elliott moved to federal politics a few years later winning a seat in the
House of Commons of Canada in the
1925 federal election as the
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 ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for the riding of
Middlesex West
Middlesex West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Midd ...
. In March 1926, he was appointed to the
Canadian Cabinet
The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du Canada) is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the ...
by
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...
as Minister of Labour. In September of that year, he was moved to the position of
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 ...
, and remained in that portfolio until the Liberal government's defeat in the
1930 election.
Elliott was personally re-elected and sat on the
Opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
benches until the Liberals returned to power in the
1935 election. Elliott was returned to Cabinet, this time as
Postmaster-General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsible ...
. In 1940, he was appointed to the
Senate of Canada where he sat until his death the next year.
Personal life
J.C. Elliott was a member of a Baptist church, never married and had no issue. Elliott was a District Deputy in the
Masonic
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
Order.
External links
*
*
''A cyclopædia of Canadian biography : brief biographies of persons ...'', HW Charlesworth (1919)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, John Campbell
1872 births
1941 deaths
Canadian Baptists
Canadian senators from Ontario
Lawyers in Ontario
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Ontario Liberal Party MPPs
People from Middlesex County, Ontario
University of Toronto alumni
Trinity College (Canada) alumni