Ernest Newburn McGirr, (March 7, 1887 – May 23, 1982) was a politician in

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba () is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at List of Manitoba genera ...

as a Progressive Conservative from 1949 to 1953.

Early life, marriage and family

Born in Emerson, Manitoba, McGirr was educated in

Morden Morden is a district and town in South London, England, now within the London Borough of Merton, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. It adjoins Merton Park and Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Sutton, Londo ...

and Winnipeg. McGirr married Elizabeth Stewart, of Griswold, near Oak Lake, in 1916. They had two daughters, Nora Elizabeth McGirr Roots Clawson (1917-1989), an editor who was married and later divorced from Peter Charles Roots, the father of her three children (Stephanie Roots Karsten 947–present Judith Roots Carver 950–present and David Henry Roots 951–presentand then to Robert Marion Clawson; and Kathleen (who married first the Canadian historian Roger Graham and later the distinguished military man

Leonard Birchall Air Commodore Leonard Joseph Birchall, (6 July 1915 – 10 September 2004), "The Saviour of Ceylon", was a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) officer who warned of a Japanese attack on the island of Ceylon during the Second World War. Early life Bi ...

). McGirr was named a

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1933.

Career

McGirr joined a law firm in Dauphin in 1914 and was made a partner in 1916. McGirr first ran for the Manitoba legislature as a Conservative in the 1932 provincial election, but lost to

Liberal-Progressive Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics there was no Liberal-Progressive Party, as such. The term generally referred to candidates endorsed by Lib ...

candidate Robert Hawkins by 265 votes in the Dauphin constituency. He lost to Hawkins again, by a greater margin, in the

1936 election The following elections occurred in the year 1936. Africa * 1936 Egyptian parliamentary election Asia * 1936 Ceylonese State Council election Europe * 1936 Belgian general election * 1936 Bielsko municipal election * 1936 Danish Landsting elec ...

. He was elected to the legislature on his third attempt, in the provincial election of 1949. The Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives had previously formed a

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

in Manitoba, and with support from the Liberal-Progressives, McGirr easily defeated an opponent from

Cooperative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social-democraticThese sources describe the CCF as ...

to take the Dauphin constituency. The Progressive Conservatives left the coalition government in 1950, and McGirr moved to the opposition benches with his party. He was defeated in the 1953 provincial election, placing third against

William Bullmore William Lewis Bullmore (October 10, 1912 in Minnedosa, Manitoba – August 23, 1972) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1953 to 1958, initially as a Social Credit representative and late ...

of the Social Credit League. He acted as the Dauphin town solicitor for 50 years prior to his retirement, served on the board of United College in Winnipeg, and was a Bencher (1952–1968) and Life Bencher (1968–1982) of the Law Society of Manitoba.

Death

McGirr died in Dauphin at the age of 95.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGirr, Ernest 1887 births 1982 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs Canadian King's Counsel People from Emerson, Manitoba People from Dauphin, Manitoba 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba