The Reverend William Robertson Wood (June 6, 1874—December 11, 1947) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and 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 1915 to 1920, as a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Wood was born in Veira, Orkney,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, the son of William Wood and Margaret Robertson, and came to Canada in 1887. He was educated in Scotland and at Port Elgin High School, at

Toronto University The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and at Knox College in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, graduating in 1904. In the same year, he married Margaret Workman. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister, he served in Dunbarton, Ontario from 1904 to 1908, in

Claremont, Ontario Claremont is an unincorporated community in Southern Ontario in the north part of Pickering, Ontario, Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Historically, Claremont was part of Pickering Township, Ontario County, Ontario, Ontario County, Ontario until 1974 ...

from 1908 to 1913, and in

Franklin, Manitoba Franklin is a community in Rural Municipality of Rosedale in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It is west of Neepawa, Manitoba, and was known as Bridge Creek, ''(or possibly Budge Creek),'' until 1890. It was then named Franklin and refe ...

after 1913. He continued to work as a minister after winning election to the legislature. From 1916 to 1917, he was secretary of the Free Trade League of Canada. In 1917, he became secretary of the

Manitoba Grain Growers' Association The Manitoba Grain Growers' Association (MGGA) was a farmer's association that was active in Manitoba, Canada, in the first two decades of the 20th century. It provided a voice for farmers in their struggle with grain dealers and the railways, and ...

. In 1919 Wood received a

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1914 provincial election, losing to

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 ...

cabinet minister

James H. Howden James Henry Howden (October 11, 1860 – July 16, 1938) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a member of the Conservative Party from 1903 to 1915, and was a cabinet minister in the governme ...

by 32 votes in the

Beautiful Plains Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

constituency. Howden did not seek re-election in the 1915 election, and Wood defeated his Conservative opponent J.H. Irwin by 197 votes. The Liberals won a landslide majority in this election, and Wood served as a backbench supporter of

Tobias Norris Tobias Crawford Norris (September 5, 1861 – October 29, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922. Norris was a member of the Liberal Party.J. M. Bumsted"Tobias Crawford Norris" ''The Cana ...

's government. He did not seek re-election in 1920. Wood became secretary 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 ...

serving until 1925. In that year, he became chairman of the Manitoba Prohibition Alliance. In 1928, he became principal of the Ahousat Indian School on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

and later, of the Indian School at

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hi ...

. From 1943 to 1946, Wood was chaplain for the

Stony Mountain Penitentiary Stony Mountain Institution is a federal multi-security complex located in the Rural Municipality of Rockwood immediately adjacent to the community of Stony Mountain, Manitoba, about from Winnipeg. The Institution (medium-security) began opera ...

. He died in Portage la Prairie as the result of injuries sustained in a fall in

Poplar Point The Anacostia Waterfront Corporation (AWC) was a government-owned corporation established in 2004 by the government of District of Columbia, in the United States, to revitalize neighborhoods next to the Anacostia River and to coordinate the envir ...

References

1874 births Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs 1947 deaths Canadian Presbyterian ministers {{Manitoba-politician-stub