Thomas Howard Fraleigh (June 28, 1877 – January 29, 1946) was an

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 Ca ...

farmer and political figure. He represented

Lambton East Lambton East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created from Lambton riding. The East Riding of the county of Lambton was ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1929 to 1934 as a Conservative member. He was born in

St. Marys, Ontario St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...

, the son of Sidney Fraleigh, and was educated there. In 1902, he married Winnifred Anderson. He belonged to the local Masonic lodge. Fraleigh grew

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

and

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

near

Forest, Ontario Forest is a community in Lambton Shores, Ontario, Canada, near Sarnia and Lake Huron in Lambton County. It has a population of 2,876 (2011 Census) and a land area of . Community Forest's high school, North Lambton Secondary School. This facil ...

. Fraleigh also pioneered techniques to make more efficient use of pasture land when raising of livestock. Fraleigh coordinated Canadian flax production in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

: flax was shipped to

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 ...

to produce linen for use in the manufacture of airplane wings. Fraleigh also experimented with the production of hemp for use in manufacturing fibres. The cultivation of hemp was later banned in Canada because of its association with

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

. He died at his home in Forest, Ontario, on January 29, 1946."Former Lambton MPP Was Noted Agriculturist" The Globe and Mail (1936-Current) oronto, Ont30 Jan 1946: 7.

References

* ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1930'', AL Normandin

External links

*
''Lambton County's Hundred Years, 1849 - 1949'', V Lauriston (1949)
1877 births 1946 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MPP-stub