Spencer Argyle Bedford (February 1, 1851 – December 15, 1933) was an English-born Canadian politician. He served on the
1st Council of the Northwest Territories
The 1st Council of the North-West Territories, also known as the North-West Council in Canada, lasted from October 7, 1876, to 1888. It was created as a permanent replacement to the Temporary North-West Council which existed prior to 1876.
A 2nd ...
for Moosomin from 1885 to 1888.
Bedford was born at Busted,
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1851, the son of J. Bedford, and was raised in the vicinity of the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
.
He came to Canada in 1877 and settled 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 ...
, purchasing land there. He worked for land offices as well as a booster for the North West Territories, to encourage immigration there, drawing settlers to the Pembina Mountains and Rock Lake areas. Bedford was also a land
inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
, for Scottish Ontario, the British Canadian Loan Company, and the Canadian Northwest Land Company. He resided in Moosomin where he farmed. He married Minnie Bolton in 1880. His wife would die in the
1918 flu pandemic
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
.
He was acclaimed in 1885 to the Council of the North West Territories, and retired at the next election, in 1888. Upon his retirement he was named the first superintendent of the Brandon Experimental Farm in
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...
, a position which he would serve for 20 years.
Bedford later was Professor of Field Husbandry at the Manitoba Agricultural College in Winnipeg, Chairman of the Manitoba Weed Commission, and was appointed the position of Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the Manitoba government. He is a member of the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame, and received an honorary
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
from the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba."Dr. S. A. Bedford, Well Known in Agriculture, Dies", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', Friday, December 15, 1933, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, pg. 1