Thomas Ballantyne was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 politician and Speaker of the Ontario Legislature.

Ballantyne was born in Peebles, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, and immigrated to Canada in 1852. He made his fortune as a cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

 manufacturer, becoming successful enough to be elected president of the Dairyman's Association. He contested the riding of Perth North

Perth North

Perth North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario...

 in the 1871 provincial election

Ontario general election, 1871

The Ontario general election of 1871 was the second general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on March 21, 1871, to elect the 82 Members of the 2nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....

 as a Liberal

Ontario Liberal Party

The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 but was defeated. After declining the federal Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 nomination in the 1872 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1872

The Canadian federal election of 1872 was held from July 20 to October 12, 1872, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 2nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Sir John A...

, he stood in the 1875 provincial election

Ontario general election, 1875

The Ontario general election of 1875 was the third general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on January 18, 1875, to elect the 88 Members of the 3rd Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....

 for Perth South

Perth South

Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Perth into two ridings...

 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 as a Liberal by a margin of 180 votes.

Ballantyne was re-elected on four successive occasions. In 1891, he became Speaker of the legislature and was the first Speaker to preside in the new legislative buildings at Queen's Park. He retired from public life at the 1894 provincial election

Ontario general election, 1894

The Ontario general election, 1894 was the eighth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 26, 1894, to elect the 94 Members of the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....

.