William Finlay

William Thomas Finlay (July 12, 1853 – May 9, 1914) was a politician and cabinet minister in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada.

For other people named William Finlay, see William Finlay (disambiguation).
William Thomas Finlay
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
November 9, 1905 – June 6, 1910
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byCharles R. Mitchell
ConstituencyMedicine Hat
Alberta Minister of Agriculture
In office
September 9, 1905 – November 1, 1909
Preceded byNew position
Succeeded byDuncan Marshall
Alberta Provincial Secretary
In office
September 9, 1905 – November 1, 1909
Preceded byNew position
Succeeded byDuncan Marshall
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
In office
May 21, 1902 – August 31, 1905
Preceded byHorace Albertie Greeley
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
ConstituencyMedicine Hat
Mayor of Medicine Hat
In office
1900–1903
Preceded byWilliam Bradley Marshall
Succeeded byArchibald Courtice Hawthorne
Personal details
BornJuly 12, 1853
Lisburn, Ireland
DiedMay 9, 1914(1914-05-09) (aged 60)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Catherine Anne Allott
ChildrenTwo sons, three daughters
Residence(s)Medicine Hat, Alberta
OccupationMerchant, rancher

Early life

William was born in Lisburn, Ireland on July 12, 1853[1] and worked in the whole sale grocery business before moving to Montreal, Quebec in 1873. He moved to the Medicine Hat region 10 years later in 1883 and started working for the Northwest Lumber Company, and later his own firm Finlay and Company. He got married and became interested in territorial politics in 1898.[2]

Northwest Territories politics

William ran for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories in the 1898 Northwest Territories general election in the Medicine Hat district but was defeated, coming a close second to Horace Albertie Greeley.

William ran again in the 1902 Northwest Territories general election this time becoming elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Medicine Hat.[3]

Finlay served as the second mayor of Medicine Hat, from 1900 to 1903.[1]

Alberta politics

William became Alberta's first Minister of Agriculture after the province was created on September 1, 1905 he was sworn into the executive council on the advice of Premier Alexander Cameron Rutherford on September 9, 1905.[4]

In the provinces first general election, William was voted in as a member of the Alberta Liberal Party for Medicine Hat.

William was re-elected in the 1909 Alberta general election, but declined to return to his cabinet post due to his health. He stepped down as the member of his riding in 1910 after his health deteriorated to the point where he could no longer perform his duties, and made room for Charles R. Mitchell to run in a by-election.[5]

Death

William moved to Vancouver, British Columbia after his retirement died in 1914.

Electoral record
1909 Alberta general election results (Medicine Hat)[6] Turnout N.A.
  Liberal William Thomas Finlay 1,249 71.66%
  Conservative F. O. Sissions 494 28.34%
1905 Alberta general election results (Medicine Hat)[7] Turnout N.A.
  Liberal William Thomas Finlay 575 51.71%
  Conservative F. D. Sissons 537 48.29%
1902 Northwest Territories general election results (Medicine Hat)[8] Turnout N.A.
William Thomas Finlay 486 70.33%
J. A. Grant 205 29.67%
1898 Northwest Territories general election results (Medicine Hat)[8] Turnout N.A.
Horace Albertie Greeley 327 36.50%
William Thomas Finlay 285 31.81%
John George Calder 284 31.70%

References
  1. Chambers, Ernest J., ed. (1909). The Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Ottawa: Mortimer Company Ltd. p. 437. ISBN 9781414401416. ISSN 0315-6168. OCLC 266967058. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  2. "Pioneer profiles William T. Finlay". Pioneers Alberta. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  3. "History of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly 1876 - 1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  4. "Alberta Gazette October 1905". Alberta government. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  5. "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  6. "Election results for Claresholm, 1909". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  7. "Election results for Macleod, 1905". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  8. "Territories" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives Board. Retrieved 2010-03-23.

Further reading
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