Isaac Bertie Griffiths (March 29, 1882 – July 10, 1970) 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 ...

from 1922 to 1941, and was a

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

in the government of

John Bracken John Bracken (22 June 1883 – 18 March 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–194 ...

. Griffiths was born in

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the son of William Houghton Griffiths and Alice Griffiths. His father was a manufacturer, working in the production of iron and electrical fixtures. The younger Griffiths was educated at South

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

College, and came to Canada in 1903. In 1906, he married Florence Coles. He worked as a farmer, and served as director of the

United Farmers of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party in Manitoba between 1920 and 1932, which was the year of its dissolution. It developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), an agrarian movement that became politically activ ...

(UFM) in Marquette in 1918-19. When the UFM entered politics in the 1922 provincial election, Griffiths stood as a candidate and was elected for Russell, defeating Liberal incumbent William W.W. Wilson by 396 votes. After this election, the UFM formed government as the

Progressive Party of Manitoba The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party in Manitoba between 1920 and 1932, which was the year of its dissolution. It developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), an agrarian movement that became politically activ ...

. Griffiths initially served as a government backbencher, and was returned by 291 votes in the 1927 election. Prior to the 1932 election, the Progressive and Liberal parties formed an alliance to prevent the Conservatives from winning. Government members became known as "Liberal-Progressives" after this time. Griffiths was re-elected with a much increased majority, and was appointed to cabinet on May 28, 1935 as Minister of Health and Public Welfare. Narrowly returned over an

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

candidate in the 1936 provincial election, Griffiths continued to serve in cabinet until the creation of an all-party

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 1940. He resigned from cabinet on November 4, 1940, and did not seek re-election in 1941. He died in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

at the age of 88.,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Isaac 1882 births 1970 deaths English emigrants to Canada People from Walsall Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba