Nelson Parliament

Nelson Parliament (March 11, 1877 – May 17, 1967)[1] was Speaker of the Legislature of Ontario from 1920 to 1923. He was first elected as a Liberal MLA for Prince Edward in the 1914 provincial election and served in the assembly until 1923.[2]

Nelson Parliament
Ontario MPP
In office
1914–1923
Preceded byRobert Addison Norman
Succeeded byHorace Stanley Colliver
ConstituencyPrince Edward
Personal details
Born(1877-03-11)March 11, 1877
Ameliasburgh, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 17, 1967(1967-05-17) (aged 90)
Greencastle, Indiana, USA
Political partyLiberal
OccupationFarmer, businessman

Born in Ameliasburgh, Ontario. He was educated at Albert College in Belleville and went on to farm in Prince Edward County.[1]

The United Farmers of Ontario won the 1919 general election with a caucus made up entirely of newcomers. Without any experienced member who could serve as Speaker, the new Premier, E.C. Drury, turned to the opposition benches and asked Parliament to take on the position. As a result, Parliament resigned from the Ontario Liberal Party and took the Speaker's chair as an Independent. While it is the practice in the British House of Commons for the Speaker to resign his or her party affiliation, Nelson Parliament is the only Speaker in the history of the Ontario legislature to shed his party affiliation.[1]

He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1923. After leaving politics, Parliament became a behind-the-scenes organizer for the Liberal Party. He later moved to Indiana, where he operated a business in partnership with his nephew.[1]

He died in Greencastle, Indiana in 1967.[3]

References
  1. Dale, Clare A (1992). "Whose servant I am" : speakers of the assemblies of the province of Upper Canada, Canada and Ontario, 1792-1992. Toronto: Ontario Legislative Library. pp. 213–16. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  2. "Nelson Parliament". ontla.on.ca. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  3. "Deaths", The Globe and Mail, May 20, 1967; pg. 58


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