Henry Willoughby Laird (January 4, 1868 – September 30, 1940) was a journalist, wholesale merchant and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada. He sat for Regina division in the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

from 1917 to 1940. He was born in Port Dover, Ontario, the son of the Reverend William H. Laird and Elizabeth C. Burke, and was educated at the Jarvis Street Collegiate Institute and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. Laird worked as a journalist for ten years, spending three years as a press correspondent in the Ontario legislature and Canadian House of Commons. He married Lillian Blanche Defoe in 1888. In 1901, he came west to serve as private secretary to

Frederick W. A. G. Haultain Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain (November 25, 1857 – January 30, 1942) was a lawyer and a long-serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades. He served ...

. After leaving that position, he then established a wholesale and distribution business in Regina, the first wholesale business established there. He was Mayor of Regina in 1904 and 1905. Laird ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1905 and 1908. He served overseas as a lieutenant-colonel in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

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 ...

. In 1920, he helped found the Equitable Life & Accident Insurance Company and served as its vice-president. He was also a director for the Northern Life Assurance Company of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and the Merchants Casualty of

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

Laird died in office at the age of 72.

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External links

* Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Canadian senators from Saskatchewan Mayors of Regina, Saskatchewan 1868 births 1940 deaths People from Norfolk County, Ontario 20th-century mayors of places in Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada {{Saskatchewan-mayor-stub