Benjamin McConnell

Who was Benjamin McConnell?

Benjamin James McConnell was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1907 to 1914, as a member of the Liberal Party.

McConnell was born in Point Alexander, north Renfrew County, Canada West, the son of Benjamin McConnell and Catherine Melville. He was educated at Pembroke, and studied medicine at Queen's University in Kingston. He moved to Manitoba in 1881 to practice medicine, first settling in Nelson, and then moving to Morden in 1885. McConnell married Catherine Pollock Fraser in 1884. He served as provincial coroner for ten years and was president of the Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons and of the Southern Manitoba Medical Association. McConnell retired from the practice of medicine in 1902. He also owned the Morden Woollen Mill and a large farm.

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1907 provincial election, defeating Conservative incumbent George Ashdown by 90 votes in the Morden constituency. He was re-elected in the 1910 election. Both elections were won by the Conservatives, and McConnell served as an opposition member for his entire tenure in the legislature. He did not seek re-election in 1914.