David Laird

The Hon. David Laird

David Laird, PC (March 12, 1833 – January 12, 1914) was the first resident Lieutenant Governor of Northwest Territories, Canada. He was the fifth Lieutenant Governor in charge of the territory.

Laird was born in New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island, the son of Alexander Laird, a Scottish immigrant. He was Member of Parliament for Queen's County Prince Edward Island from 1873 to 1876 in the Liberal Party of Canada government of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. During his term in parliament he served as Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs, and Minister of the Interior. During his tenure as Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs, he championed the Indian Act through the Parliament, a legislation that would enable the government to realize its ultimate goal of paternalistically civilizing the natives of Canada. He earned the name 'He Whose Tongue is Not Forked'.

In 1874, Laird paved the way for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Dominion Telegraph by negotiating the Qu'Appelle Lakes Treaty with local First Nations groups in southern Saskatchewan, to procure land for the railway and telegraph lines.

Prime Minister Mackenzie and Hewitt Bernard were drafting the legislation for the North-West Territories Act of 1875 and, in 1876, Mackenzie appointed Laird as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories. A notable change would happen under his tenure as he would order the capital would be moved from Fort Livingstone to Battleford.

After his term as Lieutenant Governor expired, he returned to Prince Edward Island to run again for parliament. He was defeated in the election of 1882. After his defeat, he served as editor of the Charlottetown Patriot a newspaper in Charlottetown, until 1889.

Laird later moved back west to Manitoba and became president of the Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society from 1903 to 1904. He was appointed Indian Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and Keewatin, and held that position until his death. After 1909 he also became an advisor for the Department of Indian Affairs.

Laird died in Ottawa on January 12, 1914. The town of Laird, Saskatchewan was named in his honour.

See also

• 1st Council of the Northwest Territories

References

• "David Laird". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2005.  Check date values in: |date= (help)
• David Laird – Parliament of Canada biography
• Qu'Appelle Lakes, Treaty
• David Laird Biography: Alberta Government

v t e Heads of State for the Northwest Territories Commissioner 1905 - present White Cory Rowatt Camsell Keenleyside Young Robertson Sivertz Hodgson Parker Norris Maksagak Marion Hansen Whitford Tuccaro Deputy Commissioner 1921 - present Gibson Cunningham Brown Hodgson Parker Pilot Semmler Hanson Maksagak Marion Mains Whitford Thom Lieutenant Governor 1870 - 1905 McDougall Archibald Johnson Morris Laird Dewdney Royal Mackintosh Cameron Forget

v t e Ministers of the Interior Secretaries of State for the Provinces (1867-1873) Archibald Howe Aikins (acting) Gibbs Ministers of the Interior of Canada (1873-1936) Campbell Laird Scott (acting) Mills J. Macdonald Macpherson White J. Macdonald (acting) Dewdney Daly H. Macdonald Scott (acting) Sifton Laurier (acting) Oliver Rogers Roche Meighen Lougheed Stewart Stevens (acting) Bennett Stewart Murphy Crerar

v t e Superintendents-General of Indian Affairs Langevin Howe Aikins (acting) Gibbs Campbell Laird Scott (acting) Mills Macdonald White Macdonald (acting) Dewdney Daly H. Macdonald Scott (acting) Sifton Laurier (acting) Oliver Rogers Roche Meighen Lougheed Stewart Stevens (acting) Bennett (acting) Stewart Mackenzie Murphy Crerar1 1The offices of Minister of Immigration and Colonization, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Mines and Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs were abolished and the office of Minister of Mines and Resources was created and came in force on December 1, 1936.