Ronald Theodore Barkhouse (April 22, 1926 – April 7, 2014) was a merchant and politician in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. He represented Lunenburg East in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

from 1974 to 1984 as a Progressive Conservative member.

Early life and education

He was born in

New Ross, Nova Scotia New Ross is a community in the Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Chester Municipal District, Nova Scotia, Chester Municipal District. It is home to Ross Farm Museum, a Living-history museum, living history agricultural mus ...

, the son of Alfred S. Barkhouse and Anne Bertha Meister, and was educated at the Horton Academy.

Career

Barkhouse operated a wholesale lumber business and a general store. In 1951, he married Eleanor Plunket Grant. Barkhouse was a member of the municipal council for

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

from 1952 to 1967 and also served on the local school board. He served in the province's Executive Council as Minister of Mines and Energy. Barkhouse was also a commissioner for the

Supreme Court of Nova Scotia The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addi ...

History

Barkhouse co-authored a genealogy book entitled ''100 Day Voyage to Freedom'' containing Barkhouse family lineage from the original Berghaus immigrant couple to Nova Scotia. The book's facts are contained in a genealogy website named for Barkhouse. He authored a stream of consciousness style manuscript entitled ''The Olden Days and the Olden Ways'' in 2003, about the way life used to be in the New Ross area. According to his obituary, he "was the Chairman of the New Ross Centennial Committee, formed to officially commemorate Canada's 100th anniversary. The committee went on to promote a project for 150th anniversary of the founding of New Ross, culminating in the opening of

Ross Farm Museum The Ross Farm Museum is an agricultural museum located in New Ross, Nova Scotia, New Ross, Nova Scotia. It is about an hour's drive from Halifax Urban Area, Halifax. Museum The exhibits feature working artisans, live animals, historic building ...

in 1970."

Death

Barkhouse died in Halifax on April 7, 2014, at the age of 87.

References

* ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1984'', PG Normandin
Entry from Canadian Who's Who
1926 births 2014 deaths Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia municipal councillors 20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly {{ProgressiveConservative-NovaScotia-MLA-stub