Memorable Manitobans: Legislative Council of Manitoba (1871-1876)

The short-lived Legislative Council was established in March 1871 by Manitoba’s Lieutenant-Governor Adams George Archibald. On a meeting held on 4 February 1876, a vote to abolish the Council was held, resulting in a tie, with McKay, Ogletree and Gunn voting in favour of abolition and O’Donnell, Hamelin, and Dauphinais voting against. The tie was broken in favour of abolition by Colin Inkster, the Speaker.

James McKay (Speaker, 1871-1875)	John Harrison O’Donnell (Speaker, 1875-1876)	Colin Inkster (Speaker, 1876)	Thomas Spence (Clerk, 1871-1876)
Frank Villiers (Usher of the Black Rod, 1871-1872)	Victor Beaupre (Usher of the Black Rod, 1873-1876)
François Dauphinais (St. Norbert)	Donald Gunn (St. Andrews)	Salomon Hamelin (White Horse Plains)	Colin Inkster (Kildonan)
James McKay (President)	John Harrison O’Donnell (Winnipeg)	Francis Ogletree (Portage la Prairie)

See also:

Manitoba's Legislative Council by Murray S. Donnelly
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 3, April 1959

A Tale of Two Houses: The Rise and Demise of the Legislative Council of Manitoba, 1871-1876 by David W. Grebstad
Manitoba History, Number 75, Summer 2014

Sources:

A Political Manual of Manitoba and the North-West Territories by John P. Robertson, Winnipeg, 1887, pages 95-96.

“Manitoba’s Legislative Council, 1871-1876,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 October 1927, page 23.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 19 February 2025

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!