John Stewart McDiarmid
Encyclopedia
John Stewart McDiarmid 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.
McDiarmid was born in Perthshire
, Scotland
, and emigrated to Canada
with his family in 1887. 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 House of Commons
as a Liberal
, in the riding of Winnipeg South
. He defeated his only opponent, Conservative
Robert Rogers, by 8809 votes to 7638. For the next four years, he served in parliament as a backbench supporter of Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
. He was defeated by Rogers in a 1930 rematch, 10117 votes to 9774.
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 a provincial election held less than one month later, McDiarmid was elected to the provincial assembly, topping his party's list in Winnipeg (which elected ten members by preferential balloting, at the time).
Outgoing provincial Liberal leader Murdoch Mackay
was defeated in the 1932 election, and McDiarmid was subsequently 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 Cooperative Commonwealth Federation leader Lloyd Stinson
described him as the most right-wing member of the Liberal-Progressive government, and also accused him of being anti-labour.
McDiarmid was re-elected for Winnipeg in 1936, finishing fifth on the city's first-preference votes. In the election 1941, held after the creation of a grand coalition ministry with the Conservatives
, CCF and Social Credit
, he topped the city's poll outright.
McDiarmid retained the Land and Natural Resources/Mines portfolios for the entirety of his time in cabinet, and was also Provincial Secretary from November 28, 1939 to February 14, 1946, Railway Commissioner and Minister of Industry and Commerce from November 4, 1940 to June 30, 1953, and (briefly) acting Labour Minister following the resignation of CCF leader Seymour J. Farmer
in 1942.
McDiarmid finished second on the Winnipeg poll in the general election of 1945 (Farmer was first). In 1949, he topped the poll in the redistributed four-member riding of Winnipeg South
.
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
.
During his time in cabinet, McDiarmid was responsible for legislation opening northern Manitoba's mine fields to development. He died in 1965.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
politician. He held senior ministerial positions in the governments of John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
, Stuart Garson
Stuart Garson
Stuart Sinclair Garson, was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Premier of Manitoba from 1943 to 1948, and later became a federal cabinet minister....
and Douglas Campbell
Douglas Lloyd Campbell
Douglas Lloyd Campbell, OC was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as the 13th Premier of Manitoba from 1948 to 1958...
, and served as the province's 14th Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba is the viceregal representative in Manitoba of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
between 1953 and 1960.
McDiarmid was born in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his family in 1887. 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
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
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 House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, in the riding of Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the south of the city of Winnipeg...
. He defeated his only opponent, Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
Robert Rogers, by 8809 votes to 7638. For the next four years, he served in parliament as a backbench supporter of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
. He was defeated by Rogers in a 1930 rematch, 10117 votes to 9774.
On May 27, 1932, McDiarmid was appointed Provincial Lands Commissioner and Minister of Mines and Natural Resources in the government of provincial Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
. This occurred after negotiations in which the provincial Liberal
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
party merged with Bracken's governing Progressives
Progressive Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
; McDiarmid received one of the cabinet positions designated for the Liberal Party. In a provincial election held less than one month later, McDiarmid was elected to the provincial assembly, topping his party's list in Winnipeg (which elected ten members by preferential balloting, at the time).
Outgoing provincial Liberal leader Murdoch Mackay
Murdoch Mackay
Murdoch Mackay was a Manitoba politician. He led the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1931 to 1932, and brought the party into an alliance with John Bracken's Progressives....
was defeated in the 1932 election, and McDiarmid was subsequently 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 Cooperative Commonwealth Federation leader Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he was unable to achieve a major electoral breakthrough for his party.Stinson was born in Treherne,...
described him as the most right-wing member of the Liberal-Progressive government, and also accused him of being anti-labour.
McDiarmid was re-elected for Winnipeg in 1936, finishing fifth on the city's first-preference votes. In the election 1941, held after the creation of a grand coalition ministry with the Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
, CCF and Social Credit
Manitoba Social Credit Party
The Manitoba Social Credit Party was a political party in the Canadian province of Manitoba. In its early years, it espoused the monetary reform theories of social credit....
, he topped the city's poll outright.
McDiarmid retained the Land and Natural Resources/Mines portfolios for the entirety of his time in cabinet, and was also Provincial Secretary from November 28, 1939 to February 14, 1946, Railway Commissioner and Minister of Industry and Commerce from November 4, 1940 to June 30, 1953, and (briefly) acting Labour Minister following the resignation of CCF leader Seymour J. Farmer
Seymour J. Farmer
Seymour James Farmer was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as the 30th mayor of Winnipeg from 1923 to 1924, and was later the leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1935 to 1947. In the latter capacity, he became the first socialist politician in Canada to...
in 1942.
McDiarmid finished second on the Winnipeg poll in the general election of 1945 (Farmer was first). In 1949, he topped the poll in the redistributed four-member riding of Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the south of the city of Winnipeg...
.
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
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
party leader Errick Willis
Errick Willis
Errick French Willis was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the province's Conservative Party between 1936 and 1954, and was responsible for beginning and ending the party's alliance with the Liberal-Progressive Party...
.
During his time in cabinet, McDiarmid was responsible for legislation opening northern Manitoba's mine fields to development. He died in 1965.