Thomas McKay (July 4, 1849 – September 25, 1924) was a Metis farmer and political figureCanadian Parliamentary Guide, 1903'', AJ Magurn'' in Saskatchewan, Canada. He was the first mayor of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and represented

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

in the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories from 1891 to 1894 and from 1898 to 1905. McKay was the brother-in-law of Lawrence Clarke, and like Clarke was connected to the Conservative Party of Canada. A Protestant

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

or Anglo-Metis individual, McKay was involved in the 1885

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

on the side of the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

. He was one of the first 40 men to volunteer to help Major Crozier of the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...

. He served as an envoy to negotiate with Métis at Duck Lake. He also operated as a scout, relaying messages between Major Crozier and Colonel Irving. His brother James McKay served with C Company of the Winnipeg Rifles during the 1885 Rebellion.

Personal life

He was born on 4 July 1849 in Fort Pelly, the son of William McKay and Mary Cook, and the brother of James McKay. He was educated at St. John's School in the Red River settlement (today's Winnipeg). McKay worked as a clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company from 1864 to 1873, when he settled in

. In 1873, he married Catherine McBeath. McKay is buried at the Royal

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

cemetery on Royal Road south of Prince Albert.

Political career

In 1885, McKay became the first mayor of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. From 1891 to 1894 and from 1898 to 1905, he represented

in the

Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories (with Northwest hyphenated as North-West until 1906), is the legislature and the seat of government of Northwest Territories in Canada. It is a uni ...

. (He did not run for reelection in 1894 and was defeated in an 1897 by-election.) He also ran unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party in the federal election of 1904 for the riding of Saskatchewan when he was defeated by Liberal John Lamont.

References

Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Mayors of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Métis politicians People of Rupert's Land Hudson's Bay Company people People of the North-West Rebellion Pre-Confederation Saskatchewan people 1849 births 1924 deaths Canadian Protestants Canadian Anglicans Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Canadian Métis people {{Saskatchewan-mayor-stub