William James Major (1881-1953)

Lawyer, MLA (1927-1932), MLA (1933-1936), MLA (1937-1940), judge.

Born in Yeovil, Somerset, England on 10 November 1881, son of Job and Emily Major, he came to Canada in 1901 to farm. He read law in Winnipeg, was called to the bar in 1913, and ran for the provincial legislature in 1926. He became John Bracken’s attorney general in 1927, serving until 1941 when he took an appointment to the Court of King’s Bench. As attorney general he prepared Manitoba’s briefs to the Rowell-Sirois Commission and supervised Manitoba’s survey of enemy aliens in 1939 before the start of World War Two.

He married Hedwig Kabel, daughter of Sophia Kabel of Winnipeg, on 12 October 1904. They had three children: Mona, Helen, and Vera.

There are papers at the Archives of Manitoba.

Sources:

The Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1929.

Profile revised: 28 August 2009

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