John S. McDiarmid
John Stewart McDiarmid (December 25, 1882 – June 7, 1965) was a Manitoba politician. He held senior ministerial positions in the governments of John Bracken, Stuart Garson and Douglas Campbell, and served as the province's 14th Lieutenant Governor between 1953 and 1960.
Biography
McDiarmid was born in Perthshire, Scotland, and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1887.[1] He was educated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and hired by the Winnipeg Paint and Glass Co. upon its formation in 1902. He later worked his way up to president of the McDiarmid Brothers Lumber Company, which was also located in the city. In 1925, he was elected as an alderman on Winnipeg's municipal council. He represented the city's first ward, located in south Winnipeg.
The following year, McDiarmid was elected to the federal
On May 27, 1932, McDiarmid was appointed Provincial Lands Commissioner and Minister of Mines and Natural Resources in the government of provincial Premier John Bracken. This occurred after negotiations in which the provincial Liberal party merged with Bracken's governing Progressives; McDiarmid received one of the cabinet positions designated for the Liberal Party.
In the 1932 election held less than a month later, McDiarmid was elected to the
Provincial Liberal leader Murdoch Mackay was not elected in the 1932 election, and McDiarmid was recognized as the leading Liberal spokesman in the Liberal-Progressive coalition. He was not formally recognized as a party leader, as the Liberals were no longer an autonomous entity.
Ideologically, McDiarmid appears to have been on the right wing of his party. One-time
In the election 1941, held after the creation of a grand coalition ministry with the Conservatives, CCF and Social Credit, he was the most popular candidate in the first preferences.
McDiarmid retained the Land and Natural Resources/Mines portfolios for the entirety of his time in cabinet, and was also
McDiarmid was second in the first count of Winnipeg votes in the general election of 1945 and was elected, after Seymour Farmer.
He was the most popular candidate again in 1949 when he ran in the new four-member district of Winnipeg South. He was elected.
McDiarmid announced his retirement from politics in 1953, and formally resigned from cabinet on June 30 of that year.
Following a period of intense media speculation, McDiarmid was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on August 1 of the same year. He served in this largely ceremonial position until January 15, 1960, when he was replaced by former Progressive Conservative party leader Errick Willis.
McDiarmid died in his Winnipeg home at age 82 in 1965 after a long illness.[2]
References
- ^ "Memorable Manitobans: John Stewart McDiarmid (1882-1965)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ The Calgary Herald. The Calgary Herald.