Mackenzie, Daniel D., M.P. for the riding of North Victoria, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is one of the most prominent representatives of the Liberal party in the House of Commons, and served as Parliamentary leader of that party following the death of Sir Wilfrid Laurier in February, 1919, until the return to the House of Hon. W. L. M. King, the leader elected by the National Liberal Convention which assembled in the summer of the same year. He was born on January 8, 1859, at Lake Ainslie, in the heart of the Highland Scottish settlements of that island, the son of Duncan and Jessie (McMillan) Mackenzie. He was educated at the Public Schools and at the Sydney (C.B.) Academy, and became a barrister and attorney-at-law, practising at North Sydney. He early became prominent in politics, and has been a most successful candidate. In nearly a score of elections, municipal, provincial and federal, where he has been a candidate, he has never met defeat. He served as Commissioner of Schools for Cape Breton for a time, and was elected ten times to the Municipal Council of North Sydney, serving as Mayor for five years. He was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature in 1900 as a Liberal, and again at the general elections of 1901. Prior to the general elections for the House of Commons in 1904, he resigned his seat in the Legislature to become a Federal candidate and was elected. He resigned, and was appointed Judge of District No. 7, County Court of Nova Scotia, on February 16, 1906, continuing in that office until October 15, 1908, when he retired and became again a candidate for the House of Commons. He was elected, and was equally successful at the general elections of 1911 and 1917. When the House assembled after the latter contest, he was the chosen desk-mate of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, then leader of the Opposition; and on the death of that statesman was elected by the Liberal caucus to the Parliamentary leadership. At the National Liberal Convention of August, 1919, he unwillingly allowed his name to go before the delegates chosen to elect a leader, yielding to pressure from his Scottish friends in Nova Scotia, but on the election of Mr. King extended to the latter his heartiest co-operation and support. At the conclusion of the regular Parliamentary session of 1918-9, he had the honour of seconding Sir Robert Borden’s resolution of thanks to the Canadian troops who had fought and died on the battlefields of France and Flanders. In religion he is a Presbyterian, and on January 28, 1891, he married Miss Florence N. McDonald, by whom he has one son, Charles Russell Mackenzie, born May 5, 1895. His home is at North Sydney, C.B.
Coristine, Major Stanley B., is a member of the Board of Pension Commissioners for Canada, with headquarters in Ottawa, and had a distinguished career in the great war. He was born at Montreal, Que., the son of James Coristine, a prominent business man of that city; was educated at the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ont., from which he graduated in 1906, and also took a course at McGill University, Montreal. After graduation he was for a time connected with James Coristine & Co., Ltd., but on the outbreak of the war immediately offered himself for service overseas, and on September 10, 1914, was gazetted Captain of the 5th Royal Highlanders of Montreal, becoming Adjutant of the regiment on October 1 of that year. On permission being granted to organize the 42nd Battalion, R.H.C., he was appointed adjutant for the period of organization and when the Battalion went overseas was at his own request placed in command of a company. The 42nd Battalion was transferred to France in October, 1915, and took part in much heavy fighting. In June, 1916, during the heavy fighting at Ypres, known as the “June show” he was seriously wounded and after two months in hospital was sent home to Canada. In April, 1917, he was discharged as permanently unfit for further service at the front, and in May of that year was appointed Secretary of the Pensions Board of Canada. He showed a very exceptional capacity for dealing with the problems which came before the Board, and his military record gained him the confidence of the many injured soldiers with whom his duties brought him in contact. In 1918 he was appointed a Commissioner to fill the vacancy created on the Board by the resignation of Major J. L. Todd, and the choice was generally approved in military circles throughout Canada. He is a Protestant and a member of St. Paul’s Lodge, A.F. & A.M. His recreations are golf and tennis, and he is a member of the following clubs: St. James and University, Montreal; Rideau, and Country, Ottawa. In 1909 he married Nina, daughter of John McLean, Montreal, and has three sons: Philip, born 1910; Edward, born 1912; and James, born 1918.
Watson, Senator Robert, moved from Ontario to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, in 1876, where he built a mill, and later built another mill at Stonewall. He prospered, became popular, and was well received and appreciated by the entire community, irrespective of politics. Owing to his enterprising activities, his generosity, and his sympathetic and tangible conduct towards those less fortunate than he, he was soon elected to the Municipal Council, and as a councillor was instrumental in the adoption of municipal measures that aided in a marked degree the progressive and harmonious state of affairs in that thriving town. The Provincial Government and the Province’s representative in the House of Commons had been Conservative from the time, July 15, 1870, the Province entered Confederation, and with the return of the Conservatives to power at Ottawa in 1878, and Hon. John Norquay as Prime Minister, President of the Council, and Provincial Treasurer at Winnipeg, and four Conservative spokesmen for the Province occupying seats in the House of Commons, the young Province was but a helpless political toy in the hands of those who were elected to, and should have, looked after its best interests. Suffering for want of proper railway facilities, the situation became unbearable. Led by Hon. John Norquay, Provincial railway charters were being issued, only later to be disallowed by the Dominion Government, all of which, while the public was being led to believe differently, was fully understood and agreed upon beforehand by both Governments. Something had to be done to save the Province, and to place it on a higher plane. An agitation arose, several indignation meetings were held and finally, in the town of Portage la Prairie, the Provincial Rights Party was born, and Robert Watson, Portage la Prairie’s millwright, became the ideal candidate of the party to carry the banner for Marquette at the general Dominion election. In each of the five Manitoba Dominion constituencies (a new constituency for the Province had been created by the Dominion Government), a Provincial Rights Party candidate was nominated, and three of the five were elected, Winnipeg and Provencher, with Captain Thos. Scott and Joseph Royal, remained Conservative, but Lisgar, Marquette and Selkirk, with A. W. Ross, Robert Watson and Hugh Sutherland, became Provincial Rights constituencies. Out of these three, however—Ross, Watson and Sutherland—from and including 1882 and 1887, Mr. Watson was practically the only Liberal member in the House of Commons west of Lake Superior, and he is just as true and reliable to-day as he was when he first entered political life in 1882. Senator Robert Watson is the son of the late George Watson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, who came to Canada in 1847, and his wife Elizabeth McDonald, of Inverness-shire, Scotland. He was born at Elora, Ontario, April 29, 1853. In 1876, he moved to Manitoba, and was elected to the House of Commons for Marquette at the general elections in 1882, 1887 and 1891. He resigned to accept the portfolio of Minister of Public Works in the Greenway Administration, 1892, and was elected at the general elections of that year to the Legislature for Portage la Prairie, and again at the general election of 1896. At the general election of 1899 he was defeated. January 29, 1900, he was summoned to the Senate. July, 1880, Senator Watson married Isabella, daughter of Duncan Brown, of Lobo, Ontario. He is a Presbyterian, and his home address is Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
Sutherland, Fred C., Stock Broker, 12 King St. East, Toronto, was born March 17, 1880, in West River, Nova Scotia, and received his education at Pictou Academy. He entered his present business in 1909 and became actively engaged in the development of Northern Ontario’s natural resources, being instrumental in bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the advancement of mining interests in the districts of Porcupine, Kirkland Lake, West Shining Tree and Fort Matachewan. The firm of F. C. Sutherland & Co. is one of the largest of its kind in Canada, besides its large and finely appointed head office, having branch offices in Montreal, Boston, Springfield, Buffalo, Detroit and New York. He has surrounded himself with a staff of the most capable mining experts, and his sound judgment, based on first-hand information has proven of great value to his large clientele of investors. Though his time is constantly in demand by his clients and the investing public as well as in directing both internal and external affairs of his extensive interests he is invariably genial and unruffled, having the happy faculty of being able to divert his attention rapidly from one subject to another yet keeping closely in touch with each till disposed of. He is a member of The Board of Trade, the Lambton Golf Club, a Protestant, a Unionist in politics and the possessor of an unusually pleasing personality.
Taylor, Lt.-Col. Hon. George (Gananoque), the second son of the late William Taylor and his wife Ann Graham, both of the north of Ireland. Was born at Lansdowne, County Leeds, Ontario, March 31, 1840, and has been for years one of the most popular figures in the public life of this Dominion. Educated in the Public Schools of Lansdowne, the Hon. Mr. Taylor began life in the mercantile business as a clerk in a country general store at the age of eleven years, where he worked for £1 a month, and continued with the same firm as partner over twenty-five years. On retiring from the mercantile business above mentioned, the Hon. Mr. Taylor re-organized the Ontario Wheel Company, to manufacture carriage wheels, and has been President of the Company for thirty years. He has been Reeve of Gananoque for seven years, and Warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, of which he was County Auditor, 1881. Was first elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative candidate for the County of Leeds in the general elections of 1882, and was re-elected at every general election held since up to 1911 when he resigned his seat to create a vacancy for Sir Thomas White, who had been appointed Minister of Finance in the Borden Cabinet. During his long parliamentary career Hon. Mr. Taylor was chief Whip of the Conservative party for twenty-five years under Sir John A. MacDonald, Sir John Abbott, Sir John Thompson, Sir Mackenzie Bowell, Sir Charles Tupper and Sir Robert Borden. Shortly after his retirement from the House of Commons, on November 17, 1911, the subject of this sketch was summoned to the Senate, and since his appointment to the Upper Chamber has taken an active part in its deliberations. On retiring from the House of Commons, he received a handsome testimonial of esteem from his colleagues. Hon. Mr. Taylor, during his career in public life, has always received the good will of all classes of citizens. He is the soul of good humor, broadminded, generous and a liberal gentleman, and has been called “The John Hampden” of this Dominion. He is the Honorary Colonel of the 156th Battalion of Leeds and Grenville and President of the Peace River Land Company and a member of the following societies: Orange, Masonic, Oddfellows, United Workmen, Royal Arcanum and Foresters. Senator Taylor was married on September 10, 1863, to Margaret Ann Latimer, daughter of James and Ellen Latimer and ward of Major James Kirker of Gananoque. They celebrated their golden wedding Sept. 10, 1913. Mrs. Taylor died Mar. 12, 1917. Mr. Taylor afterwards married Lilian Coleman, daughter of the late Mr. Anson Clark Coleman and his wife Hannah Witton, of Delta, both Canadians of English descent.