Ásmundur "Minty" Loptson (February 14, 1885 – February 25, 1972) He became a merchant, farmer, highway contractor and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. He represented Saltcoats from 1929 to 1934 and from 1948 to 1960 and Pheasant Hills from 1934 to 1948 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. His surname also appears misspelled as Lopston in some sources. Born in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, the son of Sveinbjörn Loptson and Steinunn Ásmundsdóttir, he came to

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

with his parents in 1887. In 1891, the family moved to Saskatchewan. Loptson trained as a harness-maker and then moved to

Selkirk, Manitoba Selkirk is a city in the western Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba, located on the Red River of the North, Red River about northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg. It has a population of 10,504 as of the 202 ...

, where he apprenticed as a jeweler. He married Kristin Sveinbjörnson in 1908. In 1909, Loptson opened a general store in Bredenbury, Saskatchewan. He was a member of the council for the rural municipality of Saltcoats No. 213, Saskatchewan, serving four years as reeve. He also served on the town council for Bredenbury, also serving as secretary-treasurer and mayor of the town. Loptson was defeated by Joseph Lee Phelps when he ran for reelection to the assembly in 1938. After his defeat, he returned to farming, retiring in 1945. Loptson ran for an assembly seat again in 1948, defeating Phelps. He served as interim Liberal Party leader and opposition leader in the assembly in 1954 after Walter Tucker returned to federal politics. Loptson retired from the assembly in 1960, moving to

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about 450 kilometres north-west of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. As of 2017 the census population of the ...

. He died in Winnipeg in 1972. He is buried in the Yorkton City Cemetery.

References

Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs 1885 births 1972 deaths Mayors of places in Saskatchewan Icelandic emigrants to Canada {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub