Premiers of Manitoba, 1870 to 1965

Manitoba Pageant, Winter 1966, Volume 11, Number 2

This article was published originally in Manitoba Pageant by the Manitoba Historical Society on the above date. We make this online version available as a free, public service. As an historical document, the article may contain language and views that are no longer in common use and may be culturally sensitive in nature.

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Name	Term	Birthplace
Alfred Boyd *	Sept 1870 - Dec 1871	England
Marc Amable Girard *	Dec 1871 - Mar 1872	Varenne, QC
Henry James Clarke *	Mar 1872 - July 1874	Donegal, Ireland
Marc Amable Girard	July - Dec 1874	Varenne, QC
Robert Atkinson Davis	Dec 1874 - Oct 1878	Dudswell, QC
John Norquay	Oct 1878 - Dec 1887	Red River Settlement
David Howard Harrison	Dec 1887 - Jan 1888	London, ON
Thomas Greenway	Jan 1888 - Jan 1900	Cornwall, England
Hugh John Macdonald	Jan - Oct 1900	Kingston, ON
Rodmond Palen Roblin	Oct 1900 - May 1915	Sophiasburgh, ON
Tobias Crawford Norris	May 1915 - Aug 1922	Brampton, ON
John Bracken	Aug 1922 - Jan 1943	Ellisville, ON
Stuart Sinclair Garson	Jan 1943 - Nov 1948	St. Catharines, ON
Douglas L. Campbell	Nov 1948 - June 1958	Portage la Prairie, MB
Dufferin Roblin	June 1958 -	Winnipeg, MB

* Although Alfred Boyd, M. A. Girard, and H. J. Clarke are listed here and in other lists as the first three Premiers some authorities question whether the Office of Premier can be said to have existed before M. A. Girard's administration in 1874. In this connection the following letter of Lieutenant-Governor Alexander Morris to the Secretary of State in Ottawa will be of interest:

Government House
Fort Garry, 13^th July 1874

Sir,

I have the honor to inform you, that the Legislative Assembly having adopted a vote of want of confidence in the Ministry of Manitoba by a vote of 15 to 7, I accepted the resignations which the ministers tendered me and having called upon the Hon'ble Mr. Gerard [sic] to form a new administration, that gentleman succeeded in the task entrusted to him ...

I would call your attention to the fact that in forming the Government I did so through the intervention of a premier thus introducing responsible Government in its modern type into the Province - the previous Ministry was selected personally by my predecessor and none of its members were recognized as first minister.

Alexander Morris L.G.

Page revised: 18 July 2009