Elias George Conklin was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...

 and the fifth Mayor of Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

.

Conklin was born in 1845 near what is today Paris, Ontario

Paris, Ontario

Paris, Ontario is a community on the Grand River in Ontario, Canada. The town was established in 1850. In 1999, its town government was amalgamated into that of the County of Brant, Ontario, thus ending about 149 years as a separate incorporated municipality.-History:The town was first settled in...

. During his private career, he was a partner in the real estate firm Conklin and Fortune and was also involved in construction and grist mill ventures.

Towards the end of 1880, after Conklin had been a city alderman for some time, he defeated William Gomez Fonseca in the Winnipeg mayoral election. Conklin served as Mayor in 1881, then left that office after serving only one year.

In 1883, he was elected to the at the Winnipeg North provincial riding. Conklin served one term there until his defeat in the 1886 provincial election.