James Conmee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Conmee (October 13, 1848 – July 23, 1913) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Algoma West from 1885 to 1902 and Port Arthur and Rainy River from 1902 to 1904 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and Thunder Bay and Rainy River in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1911 as a Liberal member.
He was born in Sydenham Township, Canada West in 1848, the son of Irish immigrants. He trained with a New York cavalry regiment near the end of the American Civil War. In 1872, he moved to Fort William to work at a sawmill on the Kaministiquia River. In 1874, he married Emily Florence Cox. From 1876 to 1877, he held the contract to deliver mail between Silver Islet and Pigeon River. He was a contractor involved in laying track for the Canadian Pacific Railway in northern Ontario, later working on contracts for the Algoma Central Railway, Port Arthur, Duluth & Western Railway and other railways in the region.
In 1878, he became a tax collector for the Municipality of Shuniah. In 1879, Conmee was elected to the municipal council for Port Arthur ward and, in 1884, he was elected mayor of Port Arthur, Ontario. He established the Port Arthur (Ontario) Telephone Company and was also involved in setting up other utility companies. He was also served as first president of the Ontario Mining Institute. Conmee ran unsuccessfully in 1896 for the Nipissing seat in the House of Commons before being elected in 1904.
In 1911, Conmee retired from politics due to poor health. He died in Prescott, Arizona in 1913 and was buried at Port Arthur.
Conmee wrote the lyrics to a patriotic song, The national flag, with music by Henry Herbert Godfrey.
Conmee Township west of Thunder Bay was named after him.
