Skuli Sigfusson (October 1, 1870 — November 27, 1969) 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 ...

on three occasions: from 1915 to 1920, 1922 to 1936, and 1941 to 1945.

Early life

Sigfusson was born to an

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 ...

ic family living in Nordfjordur,

. He was educated at home and came to Canada in 1887 to work as a farmer and rancher. He married Gudrun Arnason, daughter of Arnor Arnason, of Chicago, in January 1908. They had seven children: Arthur F. Sigfusson, E. Maria Sigfusson, Svein O. Sigfusson, Skuli A. Sigfusson, Sigurdur Jon (Siggi) Sigfusson, Olaf Sigfusson(McMahon), Thomas Sigfusson. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1914 provincial election.

Professional life

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 ...

, he lost the constituency of St. George 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 in ...

Edmund L. Taylor Edmund Landor Taylor (December 14, 1860 – September 9, 1934) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1913 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party. Taylor was born in Leeds Coun ...

by 101 votes. The Conservative government 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 ...

was forced to resign amid scandal in early 1915. Sigfusson ran again in that year's provincial election, and defeated his Conservative opponent Paul Reykdal by 460 votes. The Liberals won a landslide victory in this election, and Sigfusson served as a backbench supporter of Tobias Norris's government. Manitoba's political culture changed significantly between 1915 and 1920, after the Winnipeg General Strike and the rise of labour politics. Sigfusson lost his seat to Albert Kristjansson of the Labour Party in the 1920 provincial election, as the Liberals were reduced to a precarious minority government. The Liberals were defeated in the 1922 provincial election. Despite the provincial trend against his party, however, Sigfusson was returned to the legislature via a convincing victory over Kristjansson, who had left the Labour Party to join 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 ...

. He was re-elected over both Reykdal and Kristjansson in the 1927 election. In 1932, the Liberals joined with the

Progressive Party 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 Canad ...

to create a "Liberal-Progressive" alliance. Sigfusson was re-elected under this banner in the 1932 provincial election, defeating a Conservative opponent by 500 votes. He again served as a government backbencher, supporting the government of

John Bracken John Bracken (June 22, 1883 – March 18, 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–19 ...

. In the 1936 provincial election, Sigfusson was upset by

Salome Halldorson Elin Salome Halldorson (December 29, 1887 – May 31, 1970) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1936 to 1941 as a member of the Social Credit League. She was the second woman and the ...

of the upstart Social Credit League. He ran again in the 1941 election, however, and defeated Halldorson by a significant margin.

Later Years

Sigfusson retired from the legislature in 1945. He died in 1969, at age ninety-nine.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sigfusson, Skuli 1870 births 1969 deaths Canadian people of Icelandic descent Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs Icelandic emigrants to Canada