Samuel James Donaldson

Samuel James Donaldson
Samuel James Donaldson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
	In office; 2 April 1907 – 1908
Preceded by	Peter Tyerman
Succeeded by	riding redistributed
Constituency	Prince Albert (County)
	In office; 1908–1915
Preceded by	first member
Succeeded by	Edgar Sidney Clinch
Constituency	Shellbrook
Member of the House of Commons of Canada
	In office; 1915–1917
Preceded by	James McKay
Succeeded by	Andrew Knox
Constituency	Prince Albert
Personal details
Born	12 March 1856; Appleton, Canada West
Died	14 March 1926 (aged 70)
Political party	Provincial Rights, Conservative
Residence(s)	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

Samuel James Donaldson (12 March 1856 – 14 March 1926) was a farmer, rancher, police officer and political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada. He represented Prince Albert County and then Shellbrook in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1907 to 1915 as a Provincial Rights-Conservative MLA and Prince Albert in the House of Commons of Canada from 1915 to 1917 as a Conservative MP.^[1]

He was born in Appleton, Canada West, the son of Samuel Donaldson. After completing his education, he worked as a clerk in a furniture store in Ottawa. In 1876, joined the North-West Mounted Police and travelled west to Pelly, Saskatchewan. Donaldson was a member of the force from 1876 to 1882, serving in Battleford, Prince Albert and Qu'Appelle. He served as a captain in the Prince Albert Volunteers during the North-West Rebellion. After he retired from the Mounted Police, he entered the livery business. In 1882, he married Jessie Paterson.^{[citation needed]}

Donaldson served on the council for Prince Albert from 1889 to 1908 and was mayor from 1892 to 1894. He ran in the 1905 Saskatchewan general election as a Provincial Rights Party candidate in Prince Albert, and was initially declared to have lost the seat to Peter Tyerman of the Liberals,^[2] although Donaldson was ultimately awarded the seat in April 1907 after legal wrangling over purported election irregularities.^[3]

He held the Legislative Assembly seat until 1915, when he was elected to the House of Commons in a 1915 by-election held after James McKay was named to the bench. During World War I, Donaldson was lieutenant-colonel for the 188th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force.^[4]

Electoral record

1905 Saskatchewan general election: Prince Albert electoral district
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Peter Tyerman^*	411	56.53%	–
	Provincial Rights	Samuel James Donaldson	316	43.47%	–
Total			727	100.00%

Note: ^*In 1907, by order of the Legislative Assembly, 151 votes for Tyerman were "set aside" and Donaldson was declared elected.

1908 Saskatchewan general election: Prince Albert County
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Provincial Rights	Samuel James Donaldson	447	62.17%	+18.70
	Liberal	Andrew Knox	272	37.83%	-18.70
Total			719	100.00%

1912 Saskatchewan general election: Shellbrook electoral district
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel James Donaldson	478	58.22%	-3.95
	Liberal	Alexander McOwan	343	41.78%	+3.95
Total			821	100.00%

Party		Candidate	Votes
By-election on 1 February 1915 On Mr. McKay being appointed Judge, 16 December 1914
	Conservative	Samuel James Donaldson	acclaimed

References

^ Samuel James Donaldson – Parliament of Canada biography
^ "Prince Albert County Clinches Liberal Victory". Regina Leader-Post, 20 December 1905.
^ "Committee Declares S. J. Donaldson Member For Prince Albert District". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 2 April 1907.
^ Hawkes, John (1924). The story of Saskatchewan and its people. Volume 3. pp. 1546–8. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

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[parl-1] Samuel James Donaldson – Parliament of Canada biography

[2] "Prince Albert County Clinches Liberal Victory". Regina Leader-Post, 20 December 1905.

[3] "Committee Declares S. J. Donaldson Member For Prince Albert District". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 2 April 1907.

[4] Hawkes, John (1924). The story of Saskatchewan and its people. Volume 3. pp. 1546–8. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

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