Archibald W. Piccott (August 21, 1869 – March 16, 1926) was a politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. He represented Harbour Grace in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1908 to 1919 as a member of the People's Party and from 1923 to 1924 as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

Biography

The son of William Piccott and Mary Webber, he was born in

Cupids Cupids is a town of 699 people (per the 2021 Census) on Conception Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It has also been known as Coopers, Copers Cove, Cuper's Cove, and Cuperts. It is the oldest continuously settled official British colo ...

on August 21, 1869, and was educated there and in

Bay Roberts Bay Roberts ( 2016 Population 6,012; Census Agglomeration 11,083) is a town located on the north shore of Conception Bay on the northeastern Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The growth of the local econo ...

. Piccott left school at a young age to go to sea but returned after losing a hand in an accident. He took commercial training and joined a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

firm and then a company that operated a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. Piccott then moved to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and went to sea again. He returned to Newfoundland again around 1896, working on a ship which travelled between Brigus and Halifax and also operating a shop in Bay Roberts. In 1917, he became local manager for the Gordon-Pew Fisheries Company. Piccott served in the Newfoundland cabinet as Minister of Marine and Fisheries. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was a member of the Home Defence Committee of the Newfoundland Patriotic Association. He was defeated when he ran for re-election to the assembly in 1919. In 1921, he was named secretary to the Minister of Shipping. In 1923, he was named Minister of Public Works. He did not run for reelection in 1924. He died at home in Bay Roberts at the age of 56 following an extended illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piccott, Archibald W 1869 births 1926 deaths People from Cupids Newfoundland People's Party MHAs Dominion of Newfoundland people 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly