Biographies of Members of the Legislative Assembly

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A. A. Joey Fraser
A. A. Joey Fraser
FRASER, A. A. “JOEY", oil company agent; b. 4 February 1920 in Montague, son of Dr. Albert Joseph Fraser of Vernon Bridge and Mabel Parkman of Alberton; m. 28 December 1945 Mary Elizabeth Gill, and they had seven children, Arthur Richard, Allan Gill, Blair John, Gerard Gordon, Robert James, Mary Noreen, and Rita Elizabeth; Roman Catholic; d. 7 August 2001 in Montague. Fraser, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 13 July 1981 for 3rd Kings. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1982 and 1986. He was defeated in the general elections of 1979 and 1989. He served on the Montague Town Council. “Joey” Fraser, as he was known, graduated from Montague High School and lived in Montague for the majority of his life. A veteran of the Second World War, he served with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders from 1940 to 1945, and was one of the troops that landed in France on D- Day, 6 |une 1944. Fraser worked as an agent for Imperial Oil and retired in 1989. For two years he chaired the United Way Appeal and for 20 years served as chairman of the Red Cross Blood Donor campaign. Fraser was a trustee of Montague High School and the Montague school board. He was a member of St. Mary’s Parish Council, as well as the Knights of Columbus and the Royal Canadian Legion. Joey Fraser died on 7 August 2001 in Montague. Mary Fraser, the daughter of Richard Gill of Iona and Maude McGarry, was born 1 November 1919., CPG 1980. 1981, 1989, 1990; WWPEI p. 51; Guardian 9 August 2001, 17 April 1979.
Adrien F. Arsenault
Adrien F. Arsenault
ARSENAULT, ADRIEN F.. lawyer; b. 12 April 1889 in Egmont Bay, son of Etienne J. Arsenault and Philomene Pitre; m. first 27 October 1920 Bernice A. MacDonald, and they had two children, Leonce and Adrien Francis; m. secondly 4 September 1935 Ellen MacNeill, and they had three children, Leonard, Helen, and John; Roman Catholic; d. 28June 1941 in Summerside. Arsenault, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 30 August 1922 for 3rd Prince. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1923, 1927, and 1931. He was appointed to Executive Council from 1923 to 1927. From 1931 to 1935, Arsenault once again served on Executive Council as Minister without Portfolio. In addition to being an effective speaker, well-read, and fluent in both French and English, he also had a gift for humour and storytelling. Arsenault received his primary education at the local school in St. Chrysostome. Later he attended St. Joseph’s University in New Brunswick and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in 1912. Arsenault studied law in the office of Albert C. Saunders* from December 1912 until 1916. Following his admission to the Bar, he worked with Neil McQuarrie and Aubin Arsenault* in the firm of McQuarrie and Arsenault. When both McQuarrie and Aubin Arsenault were called to the bench, Arsenault took over the practice. Arsenault had a busy life outside of politics and the law. He was a leader of the Societe Saint- Thomas-d’Aquin, and was its first secretary-treasurer. Arsenault was a member of the golf and curling clubs in Summerside, a member of the Knights of Columbus, the C.M.B.A., and La Societe L’Assomption, and was the leader of the male choir at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Summerside. Adrien Arsenault died 28 June 1941. Bernice Arsenault was the daughter of John A. MacDonald* of Indian River, who represented 3rd Prince in the House of Assembly and the Legislative Assembly, and Anne C. McKelvie. She died 26 March 1925. Ellen Arsenault was a native of Travellers Rest., CPG 1883, 1923. 1924. 1928. 1933. 1936; Acadiens p. 84; Elections PEI; WWC 1934-1935 p. 1714; WWC 1943-1944 p. 686; Patriot 30 June 1941 p. 5; PARO: RG 6.1 Series 19 Bar Admittances.
Aeneas A. MacDonald
Aeneas A. MacDonald
MACDONALD, AENEAS A., lawyer and iudge; b. 30 November 1864 in Georgetown, son of Andrew A. MacDonald and Elizabeth L. Owen; m. 30 August 1904 Margaret J. MacDonald, and they had four children, Reginald A. C., Margaret E., Anna M. O., and Marjorie; Roman Catholic; d. 30 fune 1920 in Charlottetown. Aeneas MacDonald, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1912 for 2nd Kings. He was defeated in the general election of 1915. His father, Andrew A. MacDonald, was a Lieutenant-Governor, a senator, a member of the House of Assembly, and a Father of Confederation. Aeneas MacDonald was educated at St. Dunstan’s College and Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. He studied law in the office of Peters and Peters, and was admitted to the Bar in 1890. In his early career, he was a law partner of C. B. MacNeill, and subsequently with P. J. Trainor. In 1905 MacDonald entered into partnership with John A. Mathieson* until Mathieson’s appointment as Chief Justice of the province in 1917. A partnership he formed with James D. Stewart* ended when MacDonald was appointed as Judge of Probate in April 1916. He also served as Private Secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor, his uncle, Augustine Colin Macdonald*, who held that office from 1915 to 1919. At the time of his death, MacDonald was chairman of the Relief Committee of the Canadian Patriotic Fund. He was also a charter member of the Charlottetown Club and served as its Secretary. Aeneas MacDonald died suddenly on 30 June 1920. Margaret MacDonald of Glenaladale, the daughter of John Archibald MacDonald, was born in 1873 and died in 1950., CPG 1915, 1916; Elections PEI; Patriot 30 June 1920; PARO: MNI-Census 1881; MNI-Charlottetown Roman Catholic Cemetery Records.
Alan Gilmore Buchanan
Alan Gilmore Buchanan
BUCHANAN, MA, ALAN GILMORE, university lecturer, government policy advisor, corporate development manager, and director of government relations; b. 28 October 1952 in Belfast, son of Samuel Buchanan and Mae Gilmore; m. 1 September 1978 Deborah Ann Watts of Grand Tracadie, and they have four children, Sam, Alison, Hannah, and Colin; Presbyterian. Buchanan, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1989 for 4th Queens. He was re-elected in the general election of 1993. On 15 April of that year, he w'as appointed Minister of Health and Social Services and on 9 June 1994 became Minister of Provincial Affairs and Attorney-General. Buchanan was a member of the Municipal Management Board. As Minister of Health and Social Services, he guided the health reform law through the Legislature. The bill restructured the health care system and provoked some protest from the health care unions’ membership. Buchanan served on the Cabinet Committee on Rural Development, as well as a number of other legislative and standing committees. On 21 May 1996 he resigned from Cabinet and the Legislative Assembly. Buchanan graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island with a Bachelor of Arts and from Queen's University with a Master of Arts. He was a lecturer in political studies and Canadian Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island and a senior economic policy advisor with the provincial government. In 1996, following his political career, he accepted the position of corporate development manager with Island Telephone, and currently works as director of government relations for Aliant Incorporated, Island Telephone’s parent company. Buchanan contributed to the establishment of the advisory board of the Institute of Island Studies. He was a member of the Board of Theatre Prince Edward Island, a president of the Belfast Historical Society, and a director of the Belfast Pipe and Drum Band Incorporated. Buchanan was a member of the Unit Four school board and the publications committee of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation. In April 1997 Buchanan was appointed to the Law Commission of Canada. He has published articles in the journal Canadian Ethnic Studies, and contributed text on the Prince Edward Island Development Plan to the social studies textbook Maritimes: Tradition, Challenge and Change. Alan Buchanan and his family reside in Belfast., CPG 1996; Maritimes: Tradition. Challenge and Change, pp. 169-171; Guardian 18 March 1993. 18 May 1996. 23 May 1996, 17 August 1996: appointment announcement, Island Telephone, 25 April 1997 p. A4, 6 June 2001 p. C2.
Albert Charles Saunders
Albert Charles Saunders
SAUNDERS, K.C., HONOURABLE ALBERT CHARLES, lawyer and judge; b. 12 October 1874 in Summerside, son of Charles B. Saunders and Margaret MacKenzie; m. 1902, Leila Zwicker Graves, and they had four children, Reginald, Mrs. Floyd Cleveland, Mrs. Harold Schurman, and Mrs. Myron Stoll; Church of England; d. 18 October 1943 in Summerside. Saunders, 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, and 1927. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 1923 to 1927. In the general election of 1927, the Liberals, led by Saunders, defeated Conservative Premier James D. Stewart*. Saunders was sworn in as the sixteenth premier on12 August 1927. On 20 May 1930, he resigned to accept appointment to the position of Master of Rolls and Justice of the Supreme Court if Prince Edward Island. Saunders first entered the political arena in Summerside where he served as Mayor for four terms before entering provincial politics. The Conservatives campaigned it the election of 1927 on a platform to repeal the Prohibition Act. Saunders and the Liberals were in favour of prohibition. The Conservatives wished to regulate the distribution of liquor by placing it under government control. The Conservative Prohibition policy was clearly against public opinion and they were defeated. During Saunders’ first session as Premier, the Legislature passed a bill designed to make the enforcement of the Prohibition Act more effective. His government was also responsible for the revision of the public school curriculum and an increase in teachers’ salaries. During his time as premier, significant road construction w;s carried out throughout the province. Upon his death, the Patriot noted that Saunders, the son of a harness maker, was unaided by wealth or influence in his rise to premier. He possessed a great capacity for painstaking concentration on the task at hand, a quality that allowed him to achieve great success in both the legal and political communities of the province. Saunders was educated at Sur.merside schools and at Prince ofWales College in Charlottetown. Upon graduating from Prince of Wales, he studied law in the Summerside firm of James E. Wyatt. Saunders moved on to article with Peters, Peters, and Ings in Charlottetown, a firm that included Frederick Peters* and Arthur Peters"', both premiers. After Saunders was called to the Bar on 3 October 1899, he opened his own office in Summerside. He was recognized as one of the leading criminal lawyers in the province. In the 1920s, Saunders formed a partnership wtih Thane Alexander Campbell*, who would also become a premier of the province. In the early 1940s. Saunders presided at the trial that resulted in the last executions in the province. Albert Saunders died 18 October 1943 at his home., CPG 1928; Elections PEI; Graves p. 413; MacKinnon Life the Party pp. 88-89; Provincial Premiers Birthday Series 1873-1973. Patriot 18 October 1943, 19 October 1943; PARO: MNI-Census 1891.
Albert Earle (Bud) Ings
Albert Earle (Bud) Ings
INGS, D.V.M., ALBERT EARLE “BUD,” veterinarian; b. 5 February 1926 in Mount Herbert, son of Henry Earl Ings and Evelyn Racham; m. 25 May 1949 Constance Margaret Mair, and they had three children, Jeanne, Joanne, and Jayne; United. Ings, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1970 for 3rd Kings. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1974, 1978, and 1979. Ings served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry from 1974 to 1978, and held the positions of Minister of Health and Minister of Social Services from 27 April 1978 to 3 May 1979. He was instrumental in launching the construction of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. Ings was President of the 3rd Kings Liberal Association and was elected president of the provincial Liberal party on 17 September 1983. He served on the Montague Town Council. “Bud” Ings, as he is known, received his elementary education in Mount Herbert and attended West Kent School and Prince of Wales College, before graduating from the University of Guelph in 1952 with a degree in veterinary medicine. He began a veterinary practice in Souris in 1952, but moved to Montague in 1954. Ings opened the Montague Veterinary Clinic in 1967 and served as its president. He served in the Canadian Army as a private from 1944 to 1946. Ings was a trustee of the Kings County Memorial Hospital and was a member of the Montague School Board. He was a member of the Prince Edward Island Centennial Commission and the Holland College Board of Governors. Ings served as president of the Queens County Chapter of the Prince Edward Island Fiddlers Association. He has been a member of the Canadian Club, the Brudenell Golf Club, the Montague Curling Club, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and the Royal Canadian Legion. Ings chaired a fundraising campaign for the Friends of the Farm Centre in 1991. He also is a former president of the Montague Rotary Club. He is known for his fine photography, singing, fiddling, gardening, and for rebuilding Volkswagen cars. Bud Ings and his wife live in Montague., CPG 1981; ECO 290/78; WWPEl p. 63; Eastern Graphic 16 June 1982, 19 November 1982, 27 August 1983, 19 September 1983, 31 July 1991; Guardian 12 June 1982.
Albert Edwin Simpson
Albert Edwin Simpson
SIMPSON, ALBERT EDWIN, farmer; b. 28 December 1866 in Hamilton, Lot 18, son of William McNeil Simpson and Sophia Clarke; m. 4 July 1905 Florence L. Davidson, and there were no children; Protestant; d. 14 January 1947 in Parkdale. Simpson, a Conservative, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1912 for 2nd Kings. Simpson received his education at Guelph Agricultural College, and worked as a farmer on the Island. Albert Simpson died 14 January 1947. Florence Simpson, the daughter of James L. Davidson of St. Peters, was born in 1876 and died in 1960., CPG 1915; Elections PEI; Guardian 15 January 1947; PARO: Midgell Cemetery Records.
Albert Henry Edward Douglas
Albert Henry Edward Douglas
DOUGLAS, M.D., C.M., ALBERT HENRY EDWARD, physician; b. 9 December I860 in Head of Hillsborough, son of William Henry Douglas and Elizabeth Coffin; m. 1891, Barbara Anderson of Breadalbane, and they had three children, Irene, Alice, and Olive; Presbyterian; d. 6 May 1908 in Hunter River. Douglas, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election for 2nd Queens on 11 July 1900. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1900 and 1904. His victory in the July 1900 by-election gave the Liberals a working majority. The 1900 general election produced a large Liberal majority, in part due to the time and credibility Douglas' by-election victory provided. He served as Speaker from February 1905 until the spring of 1908. Douglas attended Prince of Wales College, where he obtained a teaching license. After teaching for several years, he attended McGill, eventually receiving his medical degree. Following McGill, Douglas studied at the University of New York. Upon completion of his medical training, Douglas resided in Breadalbane, Charlottetown, and later Hunter River. According to the Guardian's obituary, "his medical skill coupled with close attention to professional duties and an engaging manner soon gained for him an extended practice and with it a large share of personal popularity.” Edward Douglas died 6 May 1908 as a result of pneumonia. Barbara Douglas died at the age of 99 while living with family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan., CPG 1905; Elections PEI; Guardian 7 May 1908; Patriot 6 May 1908; PARO: Marriage License Book 16 1882-1923 p. 51; Douglas Family File; Hunter River Presbyterian Church Records.
Albert P. Prowse
Albert P. Prowse
PROWSE, ALBERT PERKINS. merchant, exporter, and dealer; b. 24 December 1858, son of Samuel Prowse* and Eliza Willis; m. 29 November 1881 Williamina A. Kirkland of Kingston. Kent County, New Brunswick, and they had 10 children, Louisa E. W., William F.. Edith H„ Preston S., Albert S., Lemuel G., Joseph B., Vivia, Gerald R, and Ada L.; Methodist; d. 20 June 1925. Prowse, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held in 1899 for 4th Kings. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1904, 1908, 1912, 1915, and 1923. He was defeated in the general elections of 1897 and 1919. Prowse received his early education in local schools, before attending Wesleyan Academy in Charlottetown for two years. He was a successful merchant, dealing in and exporting fish, lobster, and produce at Murray Harbour. He entered business with his father, Samuel Prowse*, in 1872. At the age of 24, Prowse was made a partner in the family business. His brother William became a partner four years later. For 11 years, father and sons were partners in the firm of Prowse and Sons. After Samuel retired, the business continued on under the direction of his children, and under the same name, until 31 December 1902, when William retired and sold his interests to Albert Prowse. From this point, Prowse worked alone, although the business maintained the same name. When he died on 20 June 1925, Albert Prowse was a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly. Williamina Prowse, the daughter of John Kirkland and Helen Easton, was born in 1861 and died in 1938., CPG 1918, 1925, 1926; Elections PEI; Past and Present pp. 430-31; Patriot 31 December 1925: PARO: Census 1901; Murray Harbour South Beachpoint Cemetery Records.
Albert Preston Fogarty
Albert Preston Fogarty
FOGARTY, M.Ed., ALBERT PRESTON, school teacher, principal, superintendent of education, civil servant, consultant, and executive director of adult education; b. 25 June 1940 in Cardigan, son of James Wilfred Fogarty and Julia Morrison; m. 17 August 1963 Judith Dianne McCabe, and they had five children, Tracey, Albert, Robert, Kelly, and Kerri; Roman Catholic. Fogarty, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1979 for 1st Kings, and was re-elected in 1982, 1986, and 1989. In 1974, in his first attempt at public office, Fogarty was unsuccessful in the district of 3'1 Kings. Fogarty was a provincial delegate to Constitutional conferences, and attended the Canada Round discussions and First Ministers’ conference. From 17 November 1981 to 1986, he held the positions of Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Addiction Services and Civil Service. In 1982 he was a United Nations delegate at the Conference on Aging in Vienna, Austria. Fogarty chaired the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy from 1981 to 1986. From 1989 to 1993, he was Opposition House Leader, and, from 1986 to 1993, served as Opposition finance critic. In 1993, upon completion of his term in the Legislature, he became the Provincial Superintendent of Education. This position was created to lead the implementation of education reform in the province. A native of the Seven Mile Road near Cardigan, Fogarty received his primary education at the school in Glenfanning and in 1958 graduated from Montague Regional High School. In 1962 Fogarty graduated from St. Dunstan’s University with a Bachelor of Arts and, in 1966, with a Bachelor of Education. He studied history in graduate school at the University of New Brunswick and was the recipient of a graduate scholarship. In 1977 he graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a Master of Education. From 1962 to 1964, Fogarty taught at Montague Regional High School. In 1964 he became the principal as well as a teacher at Souris Regional High School, and remained in this position until 1981. He returned as principal and teacher at Souris Regional High School from 1986 until 1993. From 1993 to 1994, Fogarty was the province’s Superintendent of Education. Later in 1994 he was a senior policy consultant with the Prince Edward Island Office of Higher Education, Training and Adult Learning. Fogarty opened a professional consulting business, Fogarty Consulting Incorporated, in 1997. Ihe following year he assumed the position of executive director of the Prince Edward Island Institute of Adult and Community Education at Holland College. Fogarty retired from Holland College in December 2001. Fogarty was a president of the Prince Edward Island Teacher’s Federation and a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Teacher’s Federation. He was a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Prince Edward Island Arthritis Society. In 1992 he was a member of the Prince Edward Island “Yes Canada Committee. Fogarty was a member of the board of directors of St. John House Incorporated and chair of the Provincial Advisory Committee of St. John Ambulance. Additionally, he was chair of the board of directors of the Holland College Foundation. Fogarty was a member of the Northern Ireland Children’s Event Committee, the Souris Lions Club, and the Souris Knights of Columbus, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Charlottetown. In 1973 he was awarded the Centennial Citizenship Citation and in 1992 received the Commemorative Medal on the 125,h Anniversary of Confederation. He also served as president of the Association of Former M.L.As. Fogarty has produced a number of documents, including Towards Excellence —Final Report of the Structure and Governance of the Prince Edward Island Educational System (June 1993), A New Design for School Board Leadership and Proposals — Recruitment, Hiring, Induction, Retention and Mobility of School Board Employees (both June 1994), Quality and Performance in PostSecondary Education in Prince Edward Island (February 1995) and A Plan for the Future, Adult Literacy (August 1995), Eastern Kings: Social and Economic Development — A Different Perspective (June 1997), Holland College Professional Addictions Counselor Program — Program Viability Study (October 1997). With Lome Amos he co-authored the study Aerospace Training Needs — Prince Edward Island (December 1997). Judith Fogarty was born in Charlottetown on 18 May 1944. Albert Fogarty and his wife reside in Charlottetown., CPG 1976. 1993; WWPEI p. 49; Eastern Graphic 23 November 1981, 27 January 1993, 3 February 1993; Guardian 14 April 1978, 12 April 1979, 15 April 1986, 1 May 1986, 23 January 1993, 8 April 1993, 26 October 1993; Journal-Pioneer 23 January 1993; Royal Gazette 5 December 1981.
Alex A. MacIsaac
Alex A. MacIsaac
MACISAAC, ALEXANDER ANDREW, business person; b. 10 December 1907 in Inverness, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, son of Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Maclsaac; m. 15 August 1931 Lillian Griffis ofSault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and they had six children, Jeana, Maitland, Lynn, Scott, Bruce, and Neil; Roman Catholic; d. 27 November 1988 in Charlottetown. Maclsaac, a Liberal, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1955 for 5th Queens. He was defeated in the general election of 1959. Maclsaac served as Minister of Welfare and Labour from 1958 to 1959, and was the province’s first Minister of Labour. Maclsaac was educated at Inverness Public School. He moved to the Island in the mid-1930s, where he worked as a salesperson for DeBlois Brothers and operated a grocery business. Maclsaac owned Riley’s Chewing Tobacco Company and a credit collection agency in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. He was a member of the Charlottetown Board of Trade and the board of governors of the Charlottetown Hospital. MacLeod was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Gyro Club. Andrew Maclsaac died 27 November 1988 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital., CPG 1959; PEl Journal of the Legislative Assembly 1959, p 3; Guardian 28 November 1988.

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