- James Albert Manning Aikins
Sir James Albert Manning Aikins (
December 10 ,1851 –March 1 ,1929 ) was a politician inManitoba ,Canada . He was the leader of the Manitoba Conservative Party in the provincial election of 1915, and later served as the province'sLieutenant-Governor .Aikins was born in Grahamsville,
Peel County ,Canada West (nowOntario ) and educated at Toronto'sUpper Canada College . His father,James Cox Aikins , was a prominent Canadian politician, serving as a cabinet minister from 1869 to 1873 and 1878 to 1882, and serving as Manitoba's Lieutenant-Governor between 1882 and 1888.The younger Aikins was educated at
Upper Canada College and theUniversity of Toronto , receiving his B.A. in 1875. He subsequently moved to Winnipeg with his father, and remained in the western city after the elder Aikins returned to Ontario.From 1879 to 1896, Aikins was a counsel for the Department of Justice. In 1880, he was part of a committee that investigated the administration of justice in the
Northwest Territories . Aikins was appointed counsel to the Manitoba government in 1900, and was responsible for drafting the "Temperance Act" passed by the government ofHugh John Macdonald . He also served as President of theLaw Society of Manitoba , and was a solicitor for theCanadian Pacific Railway from 1881 to 1911.In the 1911 federal election, Aikins was elected as a Conservative candidate to the
Canadian House of Commons , for the riding of Brandon. The Conservative Party won this election, and Aikins served as a backbench supporter ofRobert Borden 's administration.Aikins left federal politics in 1915, amid unexpected circumstances. The provincial Conservative government of
Rodmond P. Roblin was forced to resign amid scandal in May 1915. Aikins served as chair of the provincial party's convention in July, and accepted the position of party leader onJuly 15 when no other candidates came forward. He resigned his federal seat, and led the provincial party into a new election.The new Liberal government of
Tobias C. Norris was extremely popular, and portrayed Aikins as the tool of more sinister figures in the Conservative Party. The Liberals won 40 seats in the election, against only five for the Tories. Aikins was resoundingly defeated in Brandon City.The following year, Aikins was appointed
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on the recommendation of Prime MinisterRobert Borden . He served in this largely ceremonial position fromAugust 5 ,1916 toOctober 25 ,1926 . Although his initial appointment was greeted with skepticism, Aikins proved to be a popular office-holder. Even the pro-Liberal "Winnipeg Free Press " approved of the continuance of his appointment on the recommendation of Prime MinisterArthur Meighen in 1921.Aikins gave the Norris government permission to continue in office for a few weeks after losing a
vote of confidence in 1922, such that important legislation could be passed before the next election.Aikins died on
March 1 ,1929 .External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7886 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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