John Harrison O'Donnell (April 7, 1838 – October 26, 1912) was a physician and political figure in

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Manitoba from 1871 to 1876 and served as its speaker in 1875. He was born in Simcoe,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

, the son of John O'Donnell, a native of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and was educated at Victoria University and Trinity Medical College. In 1861, he married Hannah Routledge. He practised in

St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

before coming to Manitoba during the

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion (), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by Métis leader Louis Riel and his f ...

of 1869. While helping defend John Christian Schultz's property, O'Donnell was taken prisoner. He was a justice of the peace and made out the arrest warrant for

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...

when the Wolseley Expedition arrived in 1870. He was the first president of the Provincial Medical Health Board of Manitoba. O'Donnell served as provincial

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

and helped found the

Winnipeg General Hospital Winnipeg General Hospital is a hospital that was founded in 1872 in Winnipeg, Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Populati ...

. He was a professor of sanitary science at the Medical College of the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

and served on the council for the University. He wrote ''Manitoba as I saw it, from 1869 to date; with flashlights on the First Riel Rebellion'', published in 1909. He died in Winnipeg at the age of 74.

References

1838 births 1912 deaths Members of the Legislative Council of Manitoba People from Norfolk County, Ontario Canadian coroners {{Manitoba-politician-stub