Thomas MacNutt (August 3, 1850 – February 5, 1927) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician who held national as well as province-wide office, as a former member of the

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and the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...

. He won a number of significant recognized awards and honours in his career. Thomas MacNutt was one of the original eight people who comprised the Independent party, the precursor to the

Progressive Party of Canada The Progressive Party of Canada, formally the National Progressive Party, was a federal-level political party in Canada in the 1920s until 1930. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces, and it spawned the ...

Early life and family

MacNutt was born in Eastern Canada in Campbellton,

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, on August 3, 1850, to Charles Stewart MacNutt and Emily Allison (née Sims) MacNutt. Thomas MacNutt attended elementary school on

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, and thereafter attended

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

grammar school and commercial college. Thomas MacNutt completed his schooling and served in the military as well as timber agent, surveyor, Indian agent, and colonization agent before entering politics. Many early immigrants felt that Thomas MacNutt was guide, and friend. Upon marrying Miss Margaret McFayden, Thomas and Margaret started a family in the

Saltcoats Saltcoats (; Scots: ''Saulcuts'') is a town on the west coast of North Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is derived from the town's earliest industry when salt was harvested from the sea water of the Firth of Clyde, carried out in small cottages ...

area of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Four children made up their family, Charles Arthur Macnutt, Thomas Russell MacNutt, Mary Lamont MacNutt, and Everett Alexander MacNutt.

Military service

*In 1866, Thomas MacNutt served with the Ottawa Rifles in the Cornwall Fenian raids or "Irish Invasion of Canada". *In 1885, Thomas MacNutt served with the Minnedosa Home Guards during the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...

Politics

MacNutt was a member of the Territorial Assembly from 1902 until 1905. He was then a member of the Saltcoats constituency when he was the first

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the presiding officer of the Saskatchewan Legislature. Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan See also *Speaker (politics) References * {{DEFAULTSORT:Speaker Of T ...

in 1906. As a Speaker, the office required knowledge of the rules of the house and impartiality. He continued on in politics, becoming a member of the House of Commons at

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, from 1908 until 1921. MacNutt entered politics as a

Liberal Party of Saskatchewan The Saskatchewan Progress Party (SPP) is a liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was founded in 1905 as the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan, and retained that name until members voted to change it in 2023. Until 20 ...

supporter until 1917. He was elected in the 1905 Saskatchewan election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing

. He served with

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Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

of the Liberal Party. He resigned as MLA and served as a Member of Parliament (MP). He served in the House of Commons after the 1908 federal election, and represented the federal

district. After the 1908 Saskatchewan election, MacNutt again represented the provincial Saltcoats and served with Premier Walter Scott. MacNutt subsequently won the

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 ...

and the 1917 federal elections in

. The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by Members of Parliament who supported the "Union government" formed by

Sir Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and Conservative politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. MacNutt was a Liberal-Unionist between 1917 and 1920. There were eight who came together to form the Independent party which later became known as the

Awards

The early Saskatchewan District of Landestreu was named in honour of the Honorable Thomas MacNutt Esq., and is now known as MacNutt *The May 1935 Jubilee medal was issued to commemorate the twenty-fifth year of the reign of King George V was awarded to those of the Royal Household, and other deserving recipients, of which the Honourable Thomas MacNutt, Esq. is one of them.

References

External links

Government Relations , Office of Protocol and Honours
* * ttp://www.parl.gc.ca/Infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=173&art=1183 Canadian Parliamentary Review - Articlebr>Saskatchewan Archives Board - Saskatchewan Election Results By Electoral Division
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macnutt, Thomas Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Liberal Party of Canada MPs People of the North-West Rebellion Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan People of the Fenian raids Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories 1850 births 1927 deaths People from Saltcoats, Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada