Herbert Hunt Acorn

ACORN, HERBERT HUNT, merchant, lumber manufacturer, mayor, and member of fishermen's loan board; b. ca. 10 August 1868 in Lower Montague, son of Charles Acorn and Caroline Sabine; m. 7 February 1894 Harriet Ann Sellar, and they had seven children, Harry (died early in life), Marjorie (died early in life), Dorothy (died early in life), Clarence, George, William A.*, and Wanda; United; d. 6 December 1939 in Charlottetown. Acorn, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1935 general election for 1st Kings. He was re-elected in the general election of 1939 and died while a Member. From 1920 to 1921, Acorn was the Mayor of Souris. His son William represented lsl Kings from 1951 to 1959, and from 1965 until his death in 1966. Acorn was educated at the local school in Lower Montague and later at the Charlottetown Business College. He began his working life in 1884 as an employee of Daniel Gordon*, joining the Georgetown mercantile firm of Westaway and McDonald - Lewis Westaway* and Malcolm McDonald* were both politicians - two years later. In 1888 Acorn moved to Charlottetown and was employed by Prowse Brothers Limited, one of the larger mercantile enterprises in the province. This firm was owned by Lemuel Prowse", an MLA and MP. In 1896 Acorn opened a general store in Souris, which a fire destroyed a few years later. Acorn then built the successful Klondyke Lumber Mill, which he operated until his death. His other involvements included serving as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Federal Salt Fish Board and, from at least 1936 to 1939, as a member of the Fishermen's Loan Board. While on this board, Acorn travelled the Island extensively, and was responsible for overseeing the construction of several buildings used to store fish or supplies. He also worked toward the diversification of the number of species of fish caught by Island fishermen. Acorn contributed to the business life of his own community by serving as a board member and president of the Souris Board of Trade. Herbert Acorn, while still a resident of Souris, died 6 December 1939 at the Prince Edward Island Hospital. Harriet Acorn, the daughter of Henry and Mary Sellar of Charlottetown, was born in 1870 and died in 1936.