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

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

. 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 Nia ...

on 21 March 1894 and had 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 () , 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 Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. 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 establishme ...

with a partner and formed a successful meat business under the name "Dunn and Lineham", which would eventually be sold to

William Roper Hull William Charles James Roper Hull (December 20, 1856 – April 4, 1925) was a Canadian rancher, meat packer, businessman, and philanthropist. He played a prominent role in western Canada's early economic development by integrating a systematic app ...

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 u ...

in the 1888 Northwest Territories general election. He won the top place in the two-man district of

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

. 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 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. 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 The November 1886 Calgary municipal election was held on November 3, 1886 to elect a List of mayors of Calgary, Mayor and four Councillors to sit on the third Calgary City Council, Calgary Town Council from November 4, 1886 to January 16, 1888. ...

garnering 172 votes, but ultimately losing to

George Clift King George Clift King (April 23, 1848 – July 18, 1935) was the second mayor of the town of Calgary, District of Alberta, Alberta. Early life King was born in Chelmsford, England in 1848. At the age of 26, he left England for Canada, arrivin ...

by 23 votes. In 1909 Lineham would be

acclaimed An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

as Mayor of

Okotoks, Alberta Okotoks ( , originally ) is a town in the Calgary Metropolitan Region, Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately south of Downtown Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to t ...

, 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 in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. The national park borders Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 as Kootenay Lakes Forest Reserve ...

. The well site, Lineham Discovery Well No. 1 would be renamed

First Oil Well in Western Canada The First Oil Well in Western Canada, also known as Lineham Discovery Well No. 1, is a defunct oil well and national historic site of Canada, which commemorates the September 21, 1902 oil strike in what is now Waterton Lakes National Park, Al ...

and designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of 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 of national historic significance. Parks C ...

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. It was frequently accompanied ...

. 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 People from Perth County, Ontario 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories 20th-century mayors of places in Alberta {{NorthwestTerritories-politician-stub