Walter Humphries Montague
Encyclopedia
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(November 21, 1858 – November 14, 1915) 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. He was a federal cabinet minister in the governments of Mackenzie Bowell
Mackenzie Bowell
Sir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...
and Charles Tupper
Charles Tupper
Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...
, and subsequently a provincial cabinet minister in the Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
government of Rodmond Palen Roblin
Rodmond Palen Roblin
Sir Rodmond Palen Roblin, KCMG was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada .Roblin was born in the town of Sophiasburgh, in Prince Edward County, Canada West . The Roblin family were descended from Dutch American Loyalist farmers Philip and Elizabeth Roblin from Smith's Cove in Orange...
. Montague was a member of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
.
Montague was born in Adelaide, in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Ontario
Middlesex County is a primarily rural county in Southwestern Ontario. Landlocked, the county is bordered by Huron and Perth counties on the north, Oxford County on the east, Elgin County on the south, and Chatham-Kent and Lambton County on the west.The seat is the city of London, although the city...
, Canada West (now Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
). He was educated at Woodstock College and the Toronto School of Medicine, and received a medical degree from Victoria University
Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Victoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
in 1882. Montague was a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 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...
.
He campaigned for 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 candidate of the provincial Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
in the provincial election of 1883
Ontario general election, 1883
Ontario general election, 1883 was the fifth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on February 27, 1883, to elect the 88 Members of the 5th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....
, but lost to Liberal candidate Richard Harcourt
Richard Harcourt
Richard Harcourt was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of Monck from 1879 to 1908...
by 129 votes in the constituency of Monck. He campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1887 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1887
The Canadian federal election of 1887 was held on February 22, 1887 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Canada.The Conservative Party of Prime Minister Sir John A...
, and defeated 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...
incumbent Charles Wesley Coulter by a single vote in the riding of Haldimand, 1,746 to 1,745. The Conservatives won this election, and Montague served as a backbench supporter of John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
's government.
Elections were frequently challenged in this period of Canadian history, and Montague's one-vote victory did not stand official scrutiny. His victory was nullified on October 15, 1887, and a new election was called for the riding on November 12. Montague this time defeated Coulter by seventeen votes, and returned to the Commons. The Liberals once again challenged the result, and the second election was voided by the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
on December 14, 1888. A third election was called for January 30, 1889, which Coulter won by forty-six votes.
Coulter's victory, however, proved no more solid than Montague's had been. The Conservatives challenged the result of the third election, and its results were set aside on January 22, 1890. A fourth election was called for February 20, 1890, and Montague was again declared elected. He was also returned in the 1891 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1891
The Canadian federal election of 1891 was held on March 5 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Canada. It was won by the Conservative Party of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald....
, defeating Coulter by the more convincing margin of seventy-eight votes. This time, the result was not overturned.
The Conservatives won the 1891 election, and Montague continued to serve as a government backbencher. He was promoted to cabinet by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Mackenzie Bowell on December 21, 1894 as a Minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
. On March 26, 1895, he was further promoted to Secretary of State of Canada. He held this position until December 21, 1895, when he was named as Canada's Minister of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture (Canada)
The Minister of Agriculture is a Minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Farm Products Council and...
.
Montague resigned from cabinet on January 5, 1896, to protest against Bowell's inaction on the Manitoba Schools Question
Manitoba Schools Question
The Manitoba Schools Question was a political crisis in the Canadian Province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, involving publicly funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants...
. He was part of the group of ministers famously described by Bowell as a "nest of traitors". After the issue was resolved, he returned to cabinet on January 15. He was retained in the Agriculture portfolio when Charles Tupper replaced Bowell as Prime Minister on May 1, 1896.
Montague was easily re-elected in the 1896 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1896
The Canadian federal election of 1896 was held on June 23, 1896 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Canada. Though the Conservative Party won a plurality of the popular vote, the Liberal Party, led by Wilfrid Laurier, won the majority of seats to form the...
in the redistributed riding of Haldimand and Monck
Haldimand and Monck
Haldimand and Monck was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1892 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario.It was created in 1892 from parts of Haldimand and Monck ridings....
. The Conservatives were defeated by Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
's Liberals, however, and Montague served as an opposition member in the parliamentary that followed. He lost his seat to Andrew Thorburn Thompson
Andrew Thorburn Thompson
Andrew Thorburn Thompson was a military officer, editor, lawyer and a third generation political figure in Canada....
by 137 votes in the 1900 election
Canadian federal election, 1900
The Canadian federal election of 1900 was held on November 7 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Canada. As a result of the election, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, was re-elected to a second majority government, defeating the...
.
He returned to his medical practice after his defeat, and moved to 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...
, Manitoba in 1908. He returned to political life on November 4, 1913, when he was appointed as Minister of Public Works in Rodmond Roblin's provincial Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
government. He did not hold a seat in 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...
at the time, so a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was called in Kildonan and St. Andrews for November 29, 1913..
This by-election was extremely bitter and divisive. The opposition aggressively attacked Montague's personal life and political record, while the Conservative electoral machine had over 40 cars working the constituency on polling day. Montague was elected, defeating Liberal
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
candidate A.N. Bredin by 370 votes. He was re-elected in the 1914 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1914
Manitoba's general election of July 10, 1914 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The result was a fifth consecutive majority government for the Conservative Party, led by premier Rodmond P. Roblin...
by a single vote.
The Rodmond government was forced to resign in 1915, after a commission of enquiry called by the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba is the viceregal representative in Manitoba of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
found the government guilty of corruption in the tendering of contracts for new legislative buildings. The administration resigned on May 12, 1915, and new elections
Manitoba general election, 1915
Manitoba's general election of August 6, 1915 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was held only one year after the previous general election of 1914. In that election, the governing Conservatives of premier Rodmond P. Roblin were...
were called. Montague was not a candidate, and the Liberals won the election in a landslide.
Montague was inducted on fraud charges for his part in the contracts scandal, but died before legal proceedings could begin.