John Hume Agnew (October 18, 1863 – November 9, 1908) 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 1903 until his death as a member of the

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, and was a prominent

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

in the government of Rodmond Roblin. Agnew was born in

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, Ontario County, Canada West (now

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), the son of Dr. Niven Agnew and Jane Somerville Ross, and was educated at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

. Agnew moved to

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 ...

with his family in 1879; he studied law, articling with

James Albert Manning Aikins Sir James Albert Manning Aikins (December 10, 1851 – March 1, 1929) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was the leader of the Manitoba Conservative Party in the provincial election of 1915, and later served as the province's ninth L ...

, and was called to the Manitoba bar in 1884. He practised law in Virden, Manitoba. In 1888, he married Anna M. Dickson. Agnew was a school trustee in Virden for over ten years, and was a town councillor for two. In religion, he was a member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1903 provincial election, defeating

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 ...

candidate F.W. Clinigan by 25 votes in the Virden constituency. He was appointed to Roblin's cabinet on March 2, 1904 as

Provincial Treasurer In Canadian politics the Provincial Treasurer is a senior portfolio in the Executive Council (or cabinet) of provincial governments. The position is the provincial equivalent of the Minister of Finance and is responsible for setting the provinc ...

. New cabinet appointees were required to seek a renewed mandate from their electors in this period of Canadian history, and Agnew was returned for Virden without opposition on March 12. He was re-elected with an increased majority in the 1907 election, and was retained as Provincial Treasurer in the legislative sitting that following. He died in office in 1908.

References

1863 births 1908 deaths Upper Canada College alumni Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs People from Virden, Manitoba Finance ministers of Manitoba {{Manitoba-politician-stub