Thomas Farquhar

September 1948 telegraph from Canadian Press reporting on Farquhar's appointment to the Senate

Thomas Farquhar (born 28 January 1875 Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada – 24 December 1962), was a Canadian politician.

He was the son of William Farquhar. The family moved to Manitoulin Island while he was still young and Farquhar was educated at Kagawong. In 1896, Farquhar traveled west to British Columbia's Slocan Valley where he mined several claims and became a prominent member of the Western Federation of Miners, serving one year as president of the union.

In 1903, Farquhar returned to Manitoulin to take up the family farm. Five years later he moved to Sault Ste. Marie to work at his father's meat business. After a stint in real estate, he and a partner purchased the Star Clothing Company at Queen and Gore Streets where he became a successful merchant. In October 1914, he married Florence Amy Wiber.

Farquhar was active in Sault Ste. Marie politics. After serving as Secretary of the Public School Board from 1915 to 1916, he won a seat as city alderman by acclamation in 1918 and was elected in 1919.

Local labour leaders approached Farquhar to run for mayor in 1920. He defeated then-mayor George Boyd, and was re-elected with a large plurality in 1921.

Farquhar was a candidate for the Progressive Party in Algoma West in the 1921 federal election but finished third.

From 1922 to 1925, Farquhar served as the reeve of Carnavon Township.

He then entered provincial politics and represented Manitoulin in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1929 as a United Farmers member. He ran for re-election in 1929 as a Liberal but was defeated. On October 14, 1935, he was elected to the House of Commons under the Liberal banner, representing the riding of Algoma East. He was re-elected March 26, 1940 and June 11, 1945.

In order to allow his new Minister of External Affairs Lester B. Pearson to run in Algoma East, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King appointed Farquhar to the Senate on September 10, 1948. He served in the Senate until his resignation on 26 September 1962.

Farquhar was also a director for a mine in Gatineau, Quebec.

His son Stanley later served in the Ontario legislature.

References

• Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1928, AL Normandin
• "Thos. Farquhar to Receive Senate Seat" Sault Star, 11 September 1948

External links

• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
• Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario