Orton Irwin Grain (August 9, 1863 – February 2, 1930) was a Canadian physician and 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 ...

. 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 1899 to 1903, and again from 1907 to 1913. Grain was born in Fergus,

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 ...

, the son of William Grain, a native of

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, and Mary Orton, the sister of Dr. G. T. Orton, and attended schools in Fergus and the

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School of Medicine. He was assistant surgeon of the 91st battalion in Canada. Grain was one of the charter holders of the Winnipeg and Northern Railway, and served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Selkirk in 1896. In religion, he was a member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. He practised medicine in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a resort town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Calgary, east of Lake Louise, Alberta, Lake Louise, and above Banff was the first municipality to incorporate within ...

Manitou, Manitoba Manitou is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Pembina within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. The Boundary Trail Railway is based in Manitou. The community's motto is "More ...

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 ...

and Selkirk. In 1890, Grain married Annie Cull. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1899 provincial election, winning the constituency of Kildonan and St. Andrews as a Liberal-Conservative. He supported 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 ...

administration of

Hugh John Macdonald Sir Hugh John Macdonald, (March 13, 1850 – March 29, 1929) was the only surviving son of the first prime minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald. He too was a politician, serving as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and a federal cabi ...

and

Rodmond Roblin Sir Rodmond Palen Roblin (February 15, 1853 – February 16, 1937) was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. Early life and career Roblin was born in Sophiasburgh, in Prince Edward County, Canada West (later Ontario). The Robl ...

, and sat as a government backbencher in the legislature which followed. Running as a Conservative, he lost to Liberal candidate M.J. O'Donohue by five votes in the 1903 election. Grain defeated O'Donahue by 41 votes in the 1907 election, and again served as a backbench supporter of Roblin's government. He was re-elected in the 1910 election, and resigned from the legislature in 1913. In late 1913, he was named medical inspector for the western provinces for the Canadian

Department of Indian Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, charged with dealing with the problem of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on first nations reserves and, at the same time, with reducing expenses incurred by the department. Grain made a number of suggestions for treating tuberculosis on reserves, but these were rejected for economic reasons. His position in the department was abolished in 1918. In 1914, Grain moved to Winnipeg. He died at home there in 1930.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grain, Orton 1863 births 1930 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs People from Centre Wellington 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba