John Frederick Johnston
John Frederick "Fred" Johnston (July 16, 1876 – May 9, 1948) was a Saskatchewan politician.
John Frederick Johnston | |
|---|---|
| Senator for Saskatchewan | |
| In office October 5, 1943 – May 9, 1948 | |
| Appointed by | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Lake Centre | |
| In office October 14, 1935 – March 26. 1940 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | John George Diefenbaker |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Long Lake | |
| In office October 29, 1925 – July 28, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Walter Davy Cowan |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Last Mountain | |
| In office December 17, 1917 – October 29, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | William Russell Fansher |
| Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chair of the Committees of the Whole House of Commons | |
| In office December 14, 1926 – May 30, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | William Duff |
| Succeeded by | Armand Lavergne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 16, 1876 Bogarttown, Ontario |
| Died | May 9, 1948 (aged 71) |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Party of Canada Liberal-Unionist |
| Occupation | Businessman, farmer, rancher |
Johnston was born to a wealthy family in Bogarttown, Ontario that owned lumber and flour mills in Simcoe County.[1]
He moved to Saskatchewan in 1905 and ultimately settled on a farm near Bladworth, Saskatchewan. In addition to his farm, he owned a lumberyard and hardware store in town and developed a string of general stores in the region.[1]
He was elected by acclamation to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1917 wartime election as a Liberal-Unionist representing Last Mountain. The Liberal Party had split over the Conscription Crisis of 1917 and Johnston was one of the Liberals who broke with Sir Wilfrid Laurier in order to support the pro-conscription Union Government formed by Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden.[1]
During the parliament, Johnston broke with both the government and the Liberals to support the new agrarian based Progressive Party formed by Thomas Crerar. He won the Progressive Party nomination in his riding and was re-elected in the 1921 federal election as a Progressive MP and became the party's chief whip in the House of Commons of Canada.[1]
Johnston supported co-operation between the Progressives and the Liberals. He was re-electedas a Progressive MP, this time in the riding of Long Lake in the 1925 federal election.[2] The Liberals lost seats in the election but stayed in power leading a minority government. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King convinced Johnston to cross the floor and join the Liberals in early 1926 in an attempt to buttress his government's support.[2] He was re-elected as a Liberal in the 1926 federal election and, in December 1926, became Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada.[1][2]
Johnston was defeated in the 1930 federal election by his Conservative opponent and returned to the farm. He was again elected to parliament in the 1935 federal election, this time in the riding of Lake Centre but was defeated in the 1940 federal election by John George Diefenbaker of the Tories.[1]
Johnston was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Mackenzie King in 1943 and sat in the upper house until his death in 1948.[1]
References
- John Frederick Johnston 1876-1948, Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
- "Parliamentary biography". .parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2010-07-01.