Sigtryggur Jonasson (February 8, 1852 – November 26, 1942) was a community leader and politician in
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
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,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He played a major part in establishing the Icelandic community in Manitoba. Jonasson 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 1896 to 1899 and again from 1907 to 1910, as a member of the
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral du Manitoba) is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870.
Origins and early development (to 1883)
Origina ...
.
Jonasson was born to a farm family at
Bakki in
Öxnadalur,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, and was
home-educated. He moved to Canada in 1872, and soon entered a profitable business partnership in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. Appointed an immigration agent by the Ontario government in 1874, he succeeded in redirecting the flow of Icelandic immigration to Canada, most of his countrymen having previously gone to the United States. In 1875, he helped select an Icelandic reserve called
New Iceland
New Iceland ( is, Nýja Ísland ) is the name of a region on Lake Winnipeg in the Canadian province of Manitoba which was named for settlers from Iceland. It was settled in 1875.
Background
In 1875, over 200 Icelanders immigrated to Manitoba es ...
in
Keewatin District, Northwest Territory, including the area around present-day
Gimli. Jonasson was also instrumental in the founding of ''Framfari'' (Progress) in 1877, the first Icelandic-language newspaper on the
North American continent.
During a major exodus from New Iceland in 1879-1881, Jonasson established a sawmill and transportation company at Icelandic River (Riverton)in partnership with Fridjon Fridriksson, thus providing employment and stabilizing the settlement. In 1881 New Iceland was incorporated into Manitoba and in 1887 residents adopted municipal government. Though he moved to Selkirk and later to Winnipeg to manage his business interests, Jonasson remained a strong supporter of the settlement, for which reason he became known as the 'Father of New Iceland'. He was also instrumental in finally convincing CPR officials to extend the railway to Gimli in 1906, Arborg in 1910, and Riverton in 1914, and is thus responsible for the development of these thriving communities through the following decades. He was, along with
Einar Hjörleifsson Kvaran
Einar Gísli Hjörleifsson Kvaran (6 December 1859 in Vallanes, Iceland as Einar Hjörleifsson – 21 May 1938 in Reykjavík) was an Icelandic editor, novelist, poet, playwright and prominent spiritualist.
Life
Einar Kvaran was the son of Re ...
a key founder of the Icelandic newspaper ''Lögberg'' (Tribune), still published in Winnipeg in 2009, Jonasson also acted as the paper's editor from 1895 to 1901.
He first campaigned for the Manitoba Legislature in the
1896 provincial election, and defeated his cousin,
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
candidate
Baldwin Baldwinson
Baldwin Larus Baldwinson (October 26, 1856 – October 5, 1936) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1899 to 1907 and from 1910 to 1913, as a member of the Conservative Party.
Baldwins ...
, by 79 votes in the
St. Andrews constituency. The Liberal Party won this election under
Thomas Greenway
Thomas Greenway (March 25, 1838 – October 30, 1908) was a Canadian politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900. A Liberal, his ministry formally ended Manitoba's non-partisan government, al ...
's leadership, and Jonasson served as a government backbencher for the next three years.
Following redistribution, Jonasson campaigned in the
1899 election for the new constituency of
Gimli, and lost to Baldwinson by eight votes. The Gimli election was deferred for a week after the rest of the province had voted, and a provincial Conservative majority had already been announced.
The federal government of
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
appointed Jonasson a Homestead Inspector for the Interlake District in 1901. He retained the post until 1906. He was then returned to the provincial assembly in the
1907 election, defeating Baldwinson by 156 votes. The Conservatives won this election, and Jonasson served for the next three years as an opposition member. He did not seek re-election in 1910.
Jonasson helped to establish a co-operative agricultural marketing scheme for Icelandic farmers in 1907, and became the co-owner of a slaughterhouse in Winnipeg. The venture failed, and Jonasson was widely criticized in the Icelandic community for his role. He does not appear to have been wealthy in his later years.
In 1930, Jonasson represented Canada at the millennium anniversary of Iceland's parliament. The government of Manitoba established a commemorative plaque in his honour in 1983.
External links
Welcome to... / Bienvenue à...at collections.ic.gc.ca
at www.gov.mb.ca
Information from both of these pages has been incorporated into this article.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonasson, Sigtryggur
1852 births
1942 deaths
Icelandic emigrants to Canada
Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)