Peter Veniot
Peter John Veniot, PC (October 4, 1863 – July 6, 1936) was a businessman and newspaper owner and a politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He was the first Acadian premier of New Brunswick.[1]
Peter John Veniot | |
|---|---|
 Peter J. Veniot as Postmaster General | |
| 18th Premier of New Brunswick | |
| In office February 28, 1923 – September 14, 1925 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Lieutenant Governor | William Pugsley William Frederick Todd |
| Preceded by | Walter E. Foster |
| Succeeded by | John B. M. Baxter |
| MLA for Gloucester | |
| In office November 5, 1894 – January 6, 1900 | |
| Preceded by | Théotime Blanchard |
| Succeeded by | John Young |
| In office February 24, 1917 – September 14, 1926 Serving with James P. Byrne, Ivan Rand, John B. London, Seraphine R. Léger, Jean George Robichaud, J. André Doucet | |
| Preceded by | John B. Hatchey |
| Succeeded by | Clovis-Thomas Richard |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Gloucester | |
| In office September 14, 1926 – July 6, 1936 | |
| Preceded by | Jean George Robichaud |
| Succeeded by | Clarence Joseph Veniot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 4, 1863 Richibucto, New Brunswick, British North America |
| Died | July 6, 1936 (aged 72) Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse |
Catherine Melanson (m. 1885) |
| Children | 6 sons |
| Alma mater | Pictou Academy |
| Occupation | businessman and newspaper owner |
| Profession | politician |
Early life and career
He was born in Richibucto, New Brunswick but later moved to Pictou, Nova Scotia with his family. Veniot worked as a journalist and typographer for the Pictou Standard and then the Moncton Transcript. He then moved to Bathurst, where he became editor and later owner of Le Courrier des Provinces Maritimes.
Political career
Veniot was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1894, but left politics in 1900 for a customs job. In 1912, he was hired to reorganize the Liberal Party of New Brunswick, and became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) again in 1917.
He served in the cabinet of Premier Walter Foster as Minister of Public Works. As Minister, Veniot was responsible for the creation of the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and the modernization of the province's highway system.
Veniot became Premier in 1923 following Foster's resignation. He was a supporter of the Maritime Rights Movement or Duncan Commission, which advocated more power for the Maritime provinces in Canadian confederation. His government was defeated in the 1925 provincial election.
Veniot resigned as provincial Liberal leader in 1926 in order to enter federal politics in the 1926 federal election. He served as Postmaster General in the cabinet of William Lyon Mackenzie King. In cabinet, Veniot advocated implementation of the Duncan Commission recommendations on alleviating Maritime alienation. Recommendations of freight-rate reductions and subsidy increases were implemented, but suggestions for subsidies based on fiscal need and transportation use to encourage regional development were ignored.
Death
Veniot remained a Member of Parliament until his death at his home in Bathurst in 1936.[2]
Personal life
Married in 1885 to Catherine Melanson,[3] their son Clarence Joseph was elected in the federal riding of Gloucester by-election after his death. He and his wife are interred in Bathurst, in the cemetery adjacent to the offices of the newspaper that made his fortune.
Electoral record
| 1935 Canadian federal election: Gloucester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Peter Veniot | 11,816 | 74.96 | +24.12 | ||||
| Conservative | Albany Robichaud | 2,962 | 18.79 | -30.37 | ||||
| Reconstruction | Hector Poirier | 985 | 6.25 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 15,763 | 100.00 | ||||||
| 1930 Canadian federal election: Gloucester | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Peter Veniot | 7,716 | 50.84 | -4.95 | ||||
| Conservative (istorical) | Albany Robichaud | 7,460 | 49.16 | +4.95 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 15,176 | 100.00 | ||||||
| By-election on 2 November 1926
On Peter Veniot's acceptance of an office of | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Peter Veniot | Acclaimed | |||
References
- "Pierre Veniot becomes Premier of New Brunswick". Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- "Hon. P. Veniot dies At Home At Age Of 72". The Ottawa Journal. 7 July 1936. p. 11. Retrieved 24 December 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia
Further reading
- Arthur T. Doyle, The Premiers of New Brunswick, Fredericton: Brunswick Press, 1983. pp. vii-xi; 47-50.
- Arthur T. Doyle, Front Benches and Back Rooms: A story of corruption, muckraking, raw partisanship and political intrigue in New Brunswick, Toronto: Green Tree Publishing, 1976.
- Doyle, Frank W. (15 December 1926). "Cabinet Portraits: Hon. Peter J. Veniot". Maclean's. Vol. 39, no. 24. pp. 6–7.
| British Crown colony (1854–67) | |
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| Canadian Province (1867–present) | |
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