James Emile Pierre Prendergast (1858-1945)

MLA (1883-1886), MLA (1886-1888), MLA (1888-1892), MLA (1892-1895), judge, Justice of the Court of Appeal.

Born in Quebec City on 22 March 1858, son of barrister James Pierre Prendergast and Emeline Gauvreau, he was educated at Laval University. He was called to the Quebec Bar and practised in that province. He came to Manitoba in 1882 and practised law in Winnipeg.

On 29 July 1886, he married Olivia Monder, with whom he had four sons and seven daughters.

He served on the Manitoba Board of Education (1884-1890), the Council for the University of Manitoba (1895-1902), and the Senate for the University of Saskatchewan (1908-1910). He was a member of the Manitoba Legislature from 1885 to 1896, being Provincial Secretary in the Greenway government. He resigned in 1890 over the Schools Question. He subsequently led the opposition to new school laws in the House and was elected Mayor of St. Boniface in 1893 and 1896.

He was President of the Saint Jean Baptiste Society of Manitoba (1886 and 1910) and of Saskatchewan (1905 and 1909). He was a special commissioner to enquire into Domion Government sales of school lands in Manitoba (1901) and one of the commissioners to consolidate Statutes of Saskatchewan (1908).

He was a Judge of the County Court (1889-1902), Judge of the Surrogate Court of the NWT (1902-1907), Judge of the Surrogate Court of Saskatchewan (1907-1910), Judge of the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench (1910-1922). He was appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal (Manitoba) on the death of Mr. Justice Metcalfe in 1922.

The University of Manitoba gave him an honorary doctorate in 1931.

More information:

Lawyers and Laymen of Western Canada by Roy St. George Stubbs (1939).

Sources:

Who’s Who in Western Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of Western Canada, Volume 1, 1911. C. W. Parker, editor. Canadian Press Association, Vancouver.

Profile revised: 29 January 2010

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