Thomas Bennett (November 14, 1835 – January 27, 1908) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. He served as the first mayor of

Strathcona, Alberta Strathcona was a city in Alberta, Canada on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River. Originally founded in 1891, it amalgamated with the City of Edmonton in 1912. History Strathcona's recorded history began in the 1870s. Its first r ...

. Bennett was born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1835. After immigrating to Canada, he served on the city council and as mayor of

Bury, Quebec Bury is a municipality in Le Haut-Saint-François Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. Bury is home to a Canada Day celebration which is well known in the Estrie region and which draws in triple the town's populat ...

. He was also a

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

Compton County, Quebec Compton County is an historical county in southeastern Quebec, Canada on the western flanks of the Appalachian Mountains on the Canada–United States border. It is in the Estrie (Eastern Townships) region of the province and was named in 1793 aft ...

. Bennett moved to Strathcona in 1895 as an

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

agent. Upon Strathcona's incorporation as a town, Bennett would be elected as the town's first mayor in an election with around 700 votes cast. His council would consist of prominent Strathcona residents, including future

Premier of Alberta The premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta, and the province's head of government. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022. The ...

Alexander Cameron Rutherford Alexander Cameron Rutherford (February 2, 1857 – June 11, 1941) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the first premier of Alberta from 1905 to 1910. Born in Ormond, Canada West, he studied and practiced law in Ottawa before h ...

. As mayor, Bennett took a conservative approach to affairs, in hopes of preventing debt to the town. He was an early pioneer of the

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

system in Strathcona, serving on the town's school board as a trustee which also included a stint as chairman. He died at his home in Strathcona in 1908 after a long illness; his body would later be taken by

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

Sherbrooke, Quebec Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...

for interment after his funeral in Strathcona, which was attended by many citizens, as well as the incumbent city council and mayor. At the time of his death, he was serving as immigration agent for Strathcona once again. Built in 1912, the Bennett Centre, formerly known as Bennett School, which is located in present-day Edmonton, is named in Thomas Bennett's honour.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Thomas 1835 births 1908 deaths Mayors of places in Alberta 19th-century Canadian politicians