Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

John Charles Puddester (4 October 1881 – 22 April 1947) was a businessman and political figure 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 Bay de Verde from 1924 to 1932 and Carbonear-Bay de Verde from 1932 to 1934. Puddester was then appointed to the

Commission of Government The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949. Established following the collapse of Newfoundland's economy during the Great Depression, it was dissolved when the dominion became ...

, serving until his death in 1947.

Early life and career

Puddester was born in Northern Bay, the son of Mark Puddester and Sarah Sellers. Puddester married Mary Moores and had nine children. After teaching school from 1899 to 1903, he became an accountant with the

Reid Newfoundland Company The Reid Newfoundland Company was incorporated in September 1901 and was the operator of the Newfoundland Railway across the island from 1901 to 1923. For a time it was the largest landowner in the Dominion of Newfoundland, today the modern Canadi ...

, working there until 1916. From 1916 to 1932, he was business manager for the ''St. John's Daily News''.

Politics

Puddester first attempted to enter

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

by running as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate for the district of Bay de Verde in

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

. Although he was defeated, he was elected when another election was called the following year. He served in the Executive Council as the Secretary of State. After the House of Assembly voted to abolish itself and suspend

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

, Puddester was appointed to the

as the Commissioner of Public Health and Welfare before becoming its Vice-Chairman in 1938. In the 1930s and 1940s, Puddester initiated a program to transcribe parish baptism and marriage records dating from the period before civil registration began in 1891. Puddester was knighted in 1939. He died in St. John's in 1947.

References

20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Knights Bachelor 1881 births 1947 deaths Members of the Newfoundland Commission of Government Dominion of Newfoundland politicians {{Newfoundland-politician-stub