Joseph Hamelin (February 22, 1873 – August 29, 1947) was a politician in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, 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 gen ...

from 1914 to 1927. Hamelin's paternal grandfather, Salomon Hamelin, served in the

Legislative Council of Manitoba The Legislative Council of Manitoba (french: links=no, Conseil législatif du Manitoba) was the upper house of the Legislature of Manitoba. Created in 1870 and abolished in 1876, the council was the only provincial upper house in Canada that was n ...

from 1871 to 1876, while his maternal grandfather was legislator Pascal Breland.

Biography

Hamelin was born in St. Vital, Manitoba (now part of

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, ...

), the son of Firmin Hamelin and Clemence Breland, and was educated in St. Boniface and at the Juniorate of the Sacred Heart in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. He then returned to Manitoba and worked as a merchant, becoming manager of the Joseph Hamelin Co. general store in Ste. Rose du Lac in 1912. He served as reeve of Ste. Rose from 1900 to 1916. Hamelin was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1914 provincial election. Running for the Conservative Party in Ste. Rose, he defeated

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 J.A. Campbell by sixty votes. After the election, he served as a backbench supporter of

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, in Prince Edward County, Canada West (later Ontario). The Robli ...

's government. Hamelin's time on the government benches was brief. The Roblin government was forced to resign amid scandal in early 1915, and was resoundingly defeated in the 1915 provincial election. Hamelin was one of only five Conservatives to win re-election, defeating Liberal candidate Z.H. Rheaume by twenty-nine votes. Hamelin was the last member to speak against the bill granting women the vote in Manitoba in 1916. In the end, he voted in support of the bill, making its passage unanimous. He was again returned in the 1920 election, in which the Conservatives won eight seats out of fifty-five. In the 1922 election, Hamelin won re-election over

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 ...

candidate Thomas McDonald by ninety votes. He identified himself as an independent candidate during this campaign, although most political observers considered him to be a Conservative in all but name. He appears to have rejoined the Conservative caucus during the parliament that followed. In the 1927 election, he lost the Ste. Rose constituency to Progressive candidate Maurice Dane MacCarthy by 224 votes. Hamelin attempted to return to the legislature in the 1936 election, but lost to

Liberal-Progressive 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 ...

candidate Sauveur Marcoux by 830 votes in the La Verendrye constituency. In 1900 at Laurier, Manitoba, he married Parmélie Gamache. They had 10 children. Hamelin died in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

on August 29, 1947.,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamelin, Joseph 1873 births 1947 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs Franco-Manitoban people Politicians from Winnipeg Canadian Métis people People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg Métis politicians