Biographies of Members of the Legislative Assembly
Pages
-
- Benjamin Rogers
- ROGERS, HONOURABLE BENJAMIN, bookkeeper, merchant, farmer, and officeholder; b. 7 August 1837 in Bedeque, son of Joseph Rogers and Margaret James; m. first 20 February 1862 Susannah Abella Hubbard, and they had six children, Francis G., Frederick C., Charles R., Addie Y., Sibella Maggie, and Reginald Hiber; m. secondly 1898, Annie M. Hunter, and there were no children; Presbyterian; d. 16 May 1923 in Alberton. Rogers, a Liberal, and for a short time an Independent, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1893 for 1st Prince. Running as an Independent, he defeated Liberal A. J. Matheson and Conservative A. F Birch. He was re-elected in the general election of 1900. He was defeated in the general elections of 1863, 1872, 1897, and 1915. Rogers was elected to the Legislative Council in 1878 for l': Prince. He was re-elected in 1882 and 1886. Rogers served on Executive Council in the administrations of Frederick Peters*, Alexander B. Warburton*, and Donald Farquharson*. He was appointed Provincial Secretary of the Treasury and Commissioner of Agriculture in 1900. Rogers was appointed Lieutenant-Governor in 1910 and served until 1915. Following his term as Lieutenant-Governor, he served as leader of the Liberal Party. Rogers served as Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council from 1883 to 1886, and as President of Legislative Council from 1891 to 1893. Rogers was educated in Bedeque. Upon completing his studies, he accepted a clerkship in Summerside, after which he worked as a bookkeeper for James C. Pope until 1858. In that year, he moved to Alberton and opened his own business, taking over the business of his brother David. Upon the opening of his Alberton store, Rogers decided against the sale of alcoholic beverages, even though this would most likely mean a serious loss of trade. Rogers continued this policy throughout his life and career. Benjamin Rogers died 16 May 1923. Susannah Rogers, the daughter of Captain William Hubbard of Tignish, was born ca. 1836 and died 12 July 1897. Annie Rogers was the daughter of James Hunter., CPG 1879, 1885, 1889, 1893, 1901, 1915; MacLeod p. 79; WWC 1914 p. 797; Examiner 14 December 1893; Guardian lb May 1923; PARO: Rogers Family Chronicle. MNI-Census 1881, 1891. MNI Hutchinson's pp. 135, 240, 241, 258, 272, 276, 282.
-
- Benjamin Rogers
- ROGERS, BENJAMIN, merchant and business person; b. 1 September 1836 in Kinleith, Carmarthen, Wales, son of Jonah Rogers and Hannah Thomas; m. 13 November 1866 Mary L. Treneman of Rochester, New York State, and they had four children, Benjamin, Carrie M., George J., and Thomas D.; Methodist; d. 21 January 1911 in Charlottetown. Rogers, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1893 for Charlottetown Royalty. He was re-elected in the general election of 1897. Rogers served on Executive Council as a Minister without Portfolio in the Warburton' Administration in 1897, and again in the Farquharson* Administration in 1898. Rogers immigrated to the Island with his family ca. 1839, settling in Bedeque, where he was educated in the local schools. In 1854, at the age of 19, he began to work as an employee of Thomas W. Dodd. Rogers had a keen business sense, and within five years Dodd made him partner. In 1892 Rogers bought out Dodd’s interest in their business. In 1904 the business was converted into Rogers Hardware Company Limited, one of Charlottetown’s best-known and most successful businesses. Rogers served as president of Rogers Hardware until his death on 21 January 1911. Besides his business interests, Rogers was identified with many of the leading enterprises of the day in the province. He was president of the Prince Edward Island Telephone Company, vice-president of the Steam Navigation Company, and president of the Patriot Publishing Company. He was involved with the Free and Accepted Order of Masonry, serving for some time as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Prince Edward Island. Mary Rogers, the daughter of Richard Treneman who came from England, was born 7 June 1847 and died 13 February 1923. Rogers lived with his family on Prince Street, and their residence was called Fairholm. The subject’s son, Benjamin Rogers, had a daughter, Helena, who married R. Reginald Bell*, who was a member of the Legislative Assembly., Eminent Men pp. 277-81. Past and Present, p. 521, Guadian 23 January 1911; Patriot 21 January 1911; PARO: Charlottetown People’s Cemetery Records.
-
- Bennett H. Carr
- CARR C.L.U., HOWARD BENNETT, insurance brokerage owner and property developer, school teacher and principal; b. 21 December 1929 in Wheatley, son of J. Howard Carr and May L. Crabbe; m. 11 May 1957 Mary Jean Coffin MacKay, and they had five children, Deborah Ann, Clive H. R, Alexis Jean, H. Darke, and B. Mark; Anglican. Carr, a Conservative, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 4 December 1972 for 2nd Queens. He was defeated in the general election of 1974. He served as the Opposition critic for Education, Labour and Housing. Carr was president of the Conservative party at the provincial and national levels. He was also the President of the Young Conservative Association of Canada. Carr served for over 20 years as a municipal councillor, treasurer, and chairman for the community of West Royalty. From 1935 to 1945, Carr received his early education at Wheatley School, and continued his studies at Prince of Wales College where he studied from 1946 to 1948. In 1951 Carr graduated from the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School in Camp Borden, Ontario, and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army. He served as an officer in the Prince Edward Island 17th Regiment RECCE and as a call-out officer in New Brunswick. In 1952 Carr returned to Prince of Wales College and graduated in 1953. He became a teacher and school principal. In 1977 he graduated from the University of Toronto's Institute of Chartered Life Underwriters of Canada and was granted the C.L.U. designation. Later Carr was the founder and general manager of Bennett Carr Insurance Limited. He opened Seawood Marina Ltd. (1971), a property ownership business. Carr has served as president of both the PEI Life Underwriters Association and the PEI Federation of Agents and Brokers, and as a director of both these national professional bodies. He co-authored an insurance textbook used in the Associate Insurance professional designation program, which was administered by the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada. Carr involved himself in community activities. He was a president of the Canadian Cancer Society, served as the provincial campaign chairman and was awarded the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Citation. He was a member of the United States Trotting Association and served a double term as president of the Charlottetown Driving Park and the Provincial Exhibition Association. He served as a school board trustee for Charlottetown Rural High School. In 1960 Carr was the Canadian representative to the World Assembly of Youth in Africa. He was awarded the Canadian Commemorative Medal from the Governor General. In 1989 he was honoured as Citizen of the Year of West Royalty, and was declared Mr. West Royalty in his citation. Bennett Carr is a member of the Victoria Lodge of Charlottetown and a 32 degree Scottish Rite Mason. He has been head of both the Lodge and Chapter in the Summerside Valley of the Rite. He is a Shriner, a member and former president of the Commonwealth Society, a member of Charlottetown Rotary, the PEI Symphony Society, the University of Prince Edward Island Alumni Association, and a former L.O.L. member. Bennett Carr and his wife reside in West Royalty. Jean Carr, the daughter of Reginald Coffin and Sadie Jane MacKenzie, was born in Rollo Bay., CPG 1974, 1975; WWPEI p. 2b; Guardian 3 May 1993; Journal-Pioneer 25 April 1974; Patriot 10 March 1989; Questionnaire to former MLAs.
-
- Bernard Donald McLellan
- MCLELLAN, BERNARD DONALD, farmer and teacher; b. 3 November 1859 in Indian River, son of Angus J. McLellan and Matilda McDonald; m. 17 October 1881 Emily Costin, and there were no children; Roman Catholic; d. 11 April 1907. McLellan, a Liberal, was first elected to the House of Assembly in a by-election held 15 March 1888 for 1st Prince. He was re-elected in the general election of 1890. He was defeated in the general election of 1893. McLellan served as Speaker from 1891 to 1893. He was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election held 13 April 1898 for West Prince, and was defeated in the 1900 federal election. McLellan was educated at St. Dunstan’s College and Prince of Wales College, and worked as a farmer and a school teacher for nine years. McLellan was the nephew of John Alexander MacDonald11, who also had been Speaker of the House. He lived in Palmer Road. Bernard McLellan died 11 April 1907. Emily McLellan was the daughter of Michael Costin of Palmer Road., CDP p. 427; CPG 1889; Elections PEI; Meacham's Atlas; PARO: MNI-Census 1881; McDonald Family File; Leard Files; St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Records.
-
- Betty Jean Brown
- BROWN, BETTY JEAN, registered nurse; b. 31 October 1937 in Charlottetown, daughter of Gordon and Dorothy Roberts; m. 9 September 1960 Murdo M. Brown, and they had two sons, Bruce McQueen and Stephen Andrew; United. Brown, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1986 for 3rd Queens. She was re-elected in the general election of 1989. Brown was defeated in the general elections of 1982 and 1993. On 2 May 1986, Brown was appointed Minister of Education in the Joseph A. Ghiz* Administration and served in that Ministry until 1989 when she was appointed Liberal caucus chair. Brown was elected to the Southport Village Commission in 1973 and served as the chair in 1976. In 1977 she was elected to the executive of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Municipalities and became its first female president in 1979. She served on the executive of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities from 1979 to 1980. Brown received her early education at the Southport School. She then attended Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown and the Prince Edward Island Hospital School of Nursing. Brown was a trustee of the Southport School Board, a member of the Bunbury-Southport Planning Board, and a director of the Community Improvement Committee. She was a member and secretary-treasurer of the Prince Edward Island Fur Breeders Association. Brown was a member of the Southport Women's Institute and the Prince Edward Island Women's Institute. She helped operate the family fur farm in Southport and worked as a nurse part-time at the Garden of the Gulf Nursing Home. Betty Jean Brown and her husband reside in Stratford. Murdo Brown is the son of William and Norma Brown., Atlantic Guidebook p. 31; CPG 1993; History of'Southport p. 55; WWPEI p. 20; Common Ground. September/October 1982.
-
- Bradford William LePage
- LEPAGE, HONOURABLE BRADFORD WILLIAM, merchant and lobster packer; b. 19 February 1876 in Anglo Rustico, son of Elisha Christopher LePage and Millicent Woolner LePage; m. 24 February 1897 Harriet Edna Christie, and they had two children, William Reuel and Hilda Ruth; United; d. 4 December 1958 in Charlottetown. LePage, a Liberal, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1919 for 2nd Queens. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1927, 1931, and 1935. He was defeated in the general election of 1923. He was a Minister without Portfolio in the Albert Saunders* Administration from 1927 to 1930, in the Walter Lea* Administration from 1930 until 1931, and then again under Lea in 1935. LePage served as President of Executive Council in the government of Thane A. Campbell*. For a brief period, he was acting Premier and acting Minister of Agriculture. LePage represented the province at the coronation of King George VI in 1937. In the general election of 1939, in the district of 2nd Queens, the unofficial count on election night declared R. Reginald Bell the winner by one vote over LePage. However, the official numbers announced on Declaration Day declared LePage the winner. A recount and appeals by both candidates followed, until the case was finally settled in Supreme Court. Finally, the Legislature passed a bill in 1940, declaring the seat vacant. A by-election was to be held, but before that occurred LePage was named Lieutenant-Governor on 11 September 1939. Bell ultimately lost the by-election to Alexander W. Matheson*. LePage served as Lieutenant-Governor from 1939 until 1945. Near the end of his term, on 9 April 1945, he refused to give Royal Assent to a bill, known locally as the Cullen Amendment, designed to loosen the more stringent clauses of the Prohibition Act. Premier J. Walter Jones* waited for LePage’s term to expire and presented the bill to his successor, Joseph A. Bernard*. The bill was signed into law in September of that year. This action was eventually declared invalid by the province’s Supreme Court, but by 1948 the original Prohibition Act had been further amended. LePage was educated at the Anglo Rustico School. He became a general merchant in his father’s business, where he built one of the largest mercantile firms in the province by exporting agricultural and fishery products. LePage was manager of the first Fishermen’s Co-operative Lobster Packing Association in North America. He was also involved in the silver fox industry as a director of the Magic Silver Black Fox Company. After 26 years, LePage sold his business interests in Rustico and in 1920 began the LePage Shoe Company Ltd. in Charlottetown with his son Reuel. In addition to his business pursuits, LePage served the Island community as a member of the Board of Education, as a director of the Young Men’s Christian Association, and as a trustee of the Falconwood Hospital. He was a member of the Rotary Club and was active as a senior presiding elder of Trinity United Church in Charlottetown. Bradford LePage died 4 December 1958 at the Prince Edward Island Hospital. Harriet LePage, the daughter of James A. Christie of Mayfield, was born 24 October 1875 and died 19 July 1961. She, too, was very active in Trinity United Church in Charlottetown., CPG 1921; MacDonald If You're Stronghearted p. 237; Zonta Club p 117; Guardian 5 December 1958; Maritime Advocate and Busy East August 1953; Patriot 4 December 1958; PARO: Sherwood Cemetery Records.
-
- Brewer Waugh Robinson
- ROBINSON, HONOURABLE BREWER WAUGH, soldier, fox rancher, and mill and baker owner; b. 9 January 1891 in Summerside, son of George W. Robinson and Lucy Waugh; m. 24 September 1919 to Ethel R Mills, and there were no children; United; d. 20 January 1949 in Summerside. Robinson, a Conservative, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1939 for 5th Prince. Before entering provincial politics, Robinson was Mayor of Summerside from 1936 to 1937. He was appointed to the Senate in April 1945. Robinson received his education at Summerside High School and at the Commercial College. Soon after completing his education, he moved to Western Canada, where he worked for several years in the Union Bank of Canada. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, Robinson returned home and was one of the first from Summerside to enlist. He joined the 2nd Battery, Canadian Heavy Artillery, and went overseas in 1915, where he served until the end of the war. In 1919 Robinson returned to Summerside and entered the fox ranching business with his father. He also became involved in the family bakery, Robinson’s Bakery Limited, as manager. In 1942, while still serving as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Robinson again went overseas as a member of the Canadian Legion War Services. He remained there until the end of the Second World War, and moved up to the position of deputy head of the Canadian Legion War Services in London, England. In April 1945, while still overseas, Robinson was informed of his appointment to the Senate, where he served until his death. Besides his extensive military and political engagements, Robinson was actively involved in his community. He was Mayor of Summerside from 1936 to 1937. He served as president of the Summerside Board of Trade and was a member of both the Rotary and the Masons. Robinson was a prominent member of the Summerside branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and was honourary president of the branch at the time of his death. He was also a director of the Prince Edward Island Fur Pool Limited. Robinson was keenly interested in sports. He served as president of the Prince Edward Island Hockey League and also as president of the Summerside Curling Club. Brewer Robinson died 20 January 1949 at his home. Ethel Robinson was the daughter of W. A. Mills of Halifax., CDP p. 498; CPG 1943; Guardian 21 January 1949; Patriot 20 January 1949; Summerside Journal 20 January 1949.
-
- Bruce Lowell Stewart
- STEWART, BRUCE LOWELL, teacher, fuel oil salesperson, fisher, town councillor, and mayor; b. 5 October 1916 in Murray Harbour, son of John Ernest Stewart and Alfreda Jordan; m. 6 June 1941 Florence Christetie MacDonald, and they had three children, Joan Alfreda, Alan Bruce, and David Gordon; Baptist; d. 5 May 1991 in Souris. Stewart, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1966 for 1st Kings. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1970 and 1974. On 7 February 1969, he was appointed Minister of Health. From 1969 to 1970, he served as Minister of Municipal Affairs, and served as Minister of Industry and Commerce from 1 June 1970 to 1971. Stewart was Minister of Fisheries from 1 June 1970 to 1972, and Minister of Labour from 24 September 1970 to 2 May 1974. On 10 October 1972, he became Minister of Social Services and Minister of Health, and he served in those Ministries until 2 May 1974, on which date Stewart was named Minister of Public Works and Minister of Highways. He served in this position until the fall of 1976, when he became ill. After an eight-month recovery period, in April 1977 Stewart returned to the Ministry of Public Works and remained there until 27 April 1978. He indicated that poor health and his doctor’s advice dictated his decision to retire from politics in 1978. Stewart’s victory in 1966 occurred in a special election for 1st Kings held following the general election on 30 May. William A. Acorn* had won the Liberal nomination for 1st Kings for the general election, but died during the campaign. As a result of his death, the vote for councillor and assemblyman for f Kings was deferred until 11 July 1966. The Liberals won both seats and formed the government with a total of 17 seats to the Conservatives’ 15 seats. Stewart considered four initiatives in particular as his most significant contributions as a public servant. While he served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, the Souris area benefitted from the establishment of the Eastern Kings Regional Services Centre, the introduction of the Magdalen Islands ferry service, the construction of a million-dollar wharf on the Souris waterfront, as well as the construction of Colville Manor nursing home. Stewart was also a councillor and mayor for the town of Souris. His fondest memory in politics was the role he played in implementing Medicare in the province. Stewart received his primary education at the Murray Harbour School. From 1933 to 1934, he attended Prince of Wales College and received a teacher’s license. Later he studied at McGill University. Stewart began his working life as a teacher and taught for six years. He also worked as an agent for Imperial Oil and as a fisher. Stewart spent some time in the service of the military. Beyond politics, Stewart was involved in a number of community activities. He served as president of the Souris Branch Royal Canadian Legion and as provincial chairman and Dominion representative of the Royal Canadian Legion. Stewart was a board member of the Protestant Children’s Home, chairman of the Souris Hospital Board, and president of the organization known later as the Association for Community Living. During the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the Town of Souris, Stewart served as chair of the organizing committee. He was also a member of the board of directors of the United Way. Bruce Stewart died 5 May 1991 in the Souris Hospital. Florence Stewart, the daughter of Alan Neil MacDonald, was born in Heatherdale., COR 1991 p. 188; CPG 1967, 1970, 1978; KCO 289 78; WWPEI 1986 p. 132; Guardian 13 July 1973, 22 January 1982, 6 May 1991.