John Henry McConnell (August 18, 1862 in Granton, Canada West – March 26, 1944 in Hamiota, Manitoba) 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 ...

from 1914 to 1922, as a member of the

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. The son of John McConnell and Catherine Delaney, McConnell was educated at common school in St. Mary's, Ontario. He first worked on a farm and then came to Manitoba in 1882. He acquired 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 the Hamiota area which he later sold to purchase property 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 ...

. After eight years in the wood business, McConnell entered the lumber business at Hamiota. He worked as an implement agent, auctioneer, undertaker and real estate agent. In 1887, he married Minnie Ann Brown. During his political career, McConnell lived in Hamiota. In religion, he was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1899 provincial election, in the riding of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He lost to

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 ...

candidate

William Ferguson William Ferguson may refer to: Arts * William Ferguson (tenor), operatic tenor, see '' The Tempest'' * William Gouw Ferguson, Scottish painter of still life * Will Ferguson (born 1964), Canadian writer Sportspeople * Bill Ferguson (American foo ...

by fifteen votes. He ran again in the 1914 election, and defeated Ferguson by 398 votes in the renamed Hamiota constituency. The election was won by

Rodmond Roblin Sir Rodmond Palen Roblin (February 15, 1853 – February 16, 1937) was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. Early life and career Roblin was born in Sophiasburgh Township, Ontario, Sophiasburgh, in Prince Edward County, Ontario, ...

's Conservatives, and McConnell sat in the legislature as a member of the opposition. The Roblin administration was forced to resign amid a serious corruption scandal in 1915. Another general election was held in August 1915, which the Liberals won with a landslide majority. McConnell was easily re-elected, and served in the legislature as a backbench supporter of

Tobias Norris Tobias Crawford Norris (September 5, 1861 – October 29, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922. Norris was a member of the Liberal Party.J. M. Bumsted"Tobias Crawford Norris" ''The Cana ...

's government. The Liberals were reduced to a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

in the 1920 provincial election, amid the rise of organized farmer and labour groups. McConnell was personally re-elected in Hamiota, defeating Ferguson by 347 votes. He ran again in the 1922 election, but lost to Thomas Wolstenholme of 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 ...

by 403 votes. He died in Hamiota at the age of 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, John Henry 1862 births Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs People from St. Mary's, Ontario 1944 deaths