William Henry Dennis

DENNIS, WILLIAM HENRY, carriage builder, trader, and farmer; b. ca. 20 January 1864 in Port Hill, son of William Henry Dennis, Sr., and Mary Anne Sharpe; m. 14 March 1885 Mary Ann Ellis, and they had seven children, Melbourne, Thomas C., Iva, Milton W., Dana G., Robert C., and J. G.; Presbyterian; d. 15 July 1946 in O'Leary. Dennis, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1915 for 2nd Prince. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1919, 1923, 1927, 1931, 1935, 1939, and 1943. He was appointed Minister of Agriculture on 14 January 1936 and served in that ministry until 1943. Dennis believed in working alongside neighbours and members of the community to help them help themselves. Dennis was educated in the local school. For the most part he worked as a carriage builder, but also traded in agricultural machinery, horses, buggies, wagons, and a variety of other items. Dennis, who did some farming, stayed in close contact with farmers all his life because of his involvement in trading and carriage-building. William Dennis died 15 July 1946. Mary Dennis, the daughter of John and Margaret Ellis, was born 24 November 1864 and died in 1953.