Martin Burrell (19 October 1858 – 20 March 1938) was a Canadian politician. Born in

Faringdon Faringdon is a historic market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, south-west of Oxford, north-west of Wantage and east-north-east of Swindon. Its views extend to the River Thames in the north and the highest ground visib ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

(now

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

), Burrell emigrated to Canada as a young man, where he eventually became a fruit grower on a farm about two miles east of

Grand Forks, British Columbia Grand Forks is a city in the Boundary Country of the Kootenays, West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Granby River, Granby and Kettle River (Columbia River tributary), Kettle Rivers, the latter ...

. His farm was the largest apple tree nursery in the province. He was elected mayor of

in 1903. He first ran unsuccessfully for the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as the

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 in the 1904 federal election for the constituency of

Yale—Cariboo Yale–Cariboo was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1896 to 1917. This riding was created in 1896 by combining the former Yale and Cariboo ridings. A redistr ...

. He was elected in the 1908 federal election and re-elected in

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

. In

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

he was re-elected as a Unionist. Burrell served as the

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

in the Borden government from 1911 to 1917, and from 1917 to 1919, as

Secretary of State of Canada The Secretary of State for Canada, established in 1867 with a corresponding department, was a Canadian Cabinet position that served as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the British Empire, Imperial governmen ...

and Minister of Mines. From 1919 to 1920, he was the Minister of Customs and Inland Revenue. He also helped secure the departure of the Komagata Maru, against those mistreating the passengers and prolonging the departure date. A fire damaged the Parliament Buildings in 1917, and Burrell was badly injured in it. From that time he filled the position of librarian for the

Library of Parliament The Library of Parliament () is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada. The main branch of the library sits at the rear of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The library survived th ...

. After leaving politics, he remained in Ottawa and kept the position of Parliamentary Librarian until his death in 1938. He is buried in Beechwood Cemetery.

Burrell Creek Burrell Creek is a creek just north of Grand Forks, British Columbia, in the Similkameen Division, Yale Land District, in an area known as the Boundary Country. It flows south into the Granby River, of which it is a tributary. It was named after ...

near

, is named in his honour.

External links

Serving Agriculture: Canada's Ministers of Agriculture
*
Burrell Creek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrell, Martin 1858 births 1938 deaths English emigrants to Canada Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Unionist Party (Canada) MPs People from Faringdon Boundary Country Parliamentary Librarians of Canada 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada