William Clarke McKinnell (September 29, 1873 – October 27, 1939) 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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. 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 ...

from 1920 to 1936.

Life

McKinnell was born in Northampton,

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 ...

, the eldest son of William McKinnell and Catherine Perkins, in a family of 10 children. He was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in The Harpur Trust, born from the endowments left by Sir William Harpur in the six ...

from 1887 until 1889. He registered with the

Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) existed from its founding as the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 1841 until 2010. The word "Royal" was added to its name in 1988. It was the statutory regulatory and professional ...

as an apprentice to his father, a Northampton chemist, but abandoned this pursuit to go to Canada in 1892. By 1894 he was homesteading in Melita, Manitoba but later moved to

Teulon, Manitoba Teulon is a town located approximately 59 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Provincial Trunk Highway 7. Located between Stonewall and Gimli, Teulon is commonly referred to as "The Gateway to the Interlake". Teulon is surrounde ...

where he opened the town's first store, McKinnell and Wood General Store. In 1901, McKinnell married Christina Margaret Wood. He served as chair of the school board in

from 1907 to 1921 and was appointed as chair of the Winnipeg Suburban Municipal Board in 1925. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1920 provincial election. Running as a Farmer candidate, he defeated

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 ...

incumbent Arthur Lobb by a single vote (978 to 977) in the Rockwood constituency. McKinnell served with the Independent-Farmer caucus in the parliament which followed. He ran for re-election in the 1922 election as a candidate of 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 ...

(UFM), and was easily returned over candidates of the Liberal and

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 ...

parties. The UFM unexpectedly won a majority of seats in this election, and formed government as the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

. McKinnell served as a backbench supporter 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 ...

's government. McKinnell was easily re-elected in the campaigns of

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

and

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

. He was defeated in the 1936 election, losing to Conservative Mungo Lewis by 383 votes. After retiring from politics, he worked as a supervisor of municipalities. McKinnell died at home in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

at the age of 66.,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinnell, William 1873 births People educated at Bedford Modern School 1939 deaths Progressive Party of Manitoba MLAs British emigrants to Canada