John Lineham (21 March 1857 – 21 April 1913) was a territorial-level politician and businessman from

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. Lineham was born 21 March 1857 to Thomas Lineham and Barbara McIntyre in Mitchell,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of t ...

. He married Mary Elizabeth Martin in

Collingwood, Ontario Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay. Collingwood is well known as a tourist destination, for its skiing in the winter, and limestone caves along the Ni ...

on 21 March 1894 and have two daughters. Lineham would head to

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

and enter the cattle business, and later in 1883 he went to Calgary ahead of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

. Lineham purchased A. P. Samples'

butcher shop A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

with a partner and formed a successful meat business under the name "Dunn and Lineham", which would eventually be sold to William Roper Hull and later Patrick Burns. Lineham was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories (with Northwest hyphenated as North-West until 1906), is the legislature and the seat of government of Northwest Territories in Canada. It is a uni ...

in the

1888 Northwest Territories general election The 1888 North-West Territories general election was the first general election in the history of the North-West Territories, Canada. Elections were held in various districts between 20 June and 30 June 1888. This was the only general election, ...

. He won the top place in the two-man district of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

. There were three candidates running for the two seats. Hugh Cayley was returned to the legislature as the second-place candidate. Lineham and Cayley were re-elected by acclamation in the

1891 Northwest Territories general election The 1891 North-West Territories general election was held on 7 November 1891 to elect 25 members of the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories, Canada. It was the second general election in the History of the North-West Territories. ...

. The electoral district was abolished and Lineham ran in the new

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...

electoral district in the

1894 Northwest Territories general election The 1894 North-West Territories general election was held on 31 October 1894. This was the third general election in the history of the North-West Territories, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Te ...

. He was easily re-elected and served his final term. He did not run for office after the assembly dissolved in 1898. Lineham contested the November 1886 Calgary municipal election garnering 172 votes, but ultimately losing to George Clift King by 23 votes. In 1909 Lineham would be acclaimed as Mayor of Okotoks, Alberta, and subsequently acclaimed again in 1910. Lineham formed the Rocky Mountain Development Company with George Leeson and engineer Allan Patrick, and on 21 September 1902 would make Alberta's first major oil strike in what is now

Waterton Lakes National Park Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. It borders Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 and named after Watert ...

. The well site, Lineham Discovery Well No. 1 would be renamed First Oil Well in Western Canada and designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

on 17 May 1965. John Lineham died in

on 21 April 1913 from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanie ...

. Upon his death Lineham left a considerable estate worth approximately CA$500,000 which was mostly left to his daughters and other family members.

Honours

*Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame * Mount Lineham, a 2,485-metre mountain in

* Lineham Creek, a stream in Alberta * Lineham Provincial Recreation Area, a provincial park in Alberta.

References

External links

* * 1857 births 1913 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Mayors of places in Alberta People from Perth County, Ontario {{NorthwestTerritories-politician-stub