John Williams (1860-1931)

Farmer, MLA (1908-1910), MLA (1914-1915), MLA (1916-1920), MLA (1921-1922).

Born at Ysceifiog, Flintshire, Wales on 3 July 1860, he was educated at local common schools. He came to Canada in May 1881 and lived at Hamilton, Ontario for a year and a half. He came to Manitoba in 1882 and took up a homestead in the vicinity of Melita. He served as a Director of the Melita Farmers’ Elevator Company, and Reeve for the Rural Municipality of Arthur in 1906. He stood for election to the Manitoba Legislature for the Arthur constituency several times, being unsuccessful in 1903 and elected at the 1907 general election. In June 1922, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the Norris government. He was defeated in a general election the next month. In July 1928 he was appointed by the federal government as commissioner of immigration to Wales.

On 24 February 1892, he married Clementine Rogers. They had two sons and two daughters. Anglican. Liberal. Address: Melita, Manitoba.

He died at his farm south of Melita on 2 March 1931 and was buried in the Melita Cemetery.

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.

“John Williams dies at his Melita home” Manitoba Free Press, 4 March 1931.

Profile revised: 6 October 2009

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