HON. THOMAS MACNUTT.
 

	Hon. Thomas MacNutt, who has been actively identified with agri-
cultural pursuits as a farmer and stock raiser of Saltcoats for the past
thirty-six years, has also long been a prominent figure in public life, hav-
ing represented the Saltcoats constituency as the first speaker of the Pro-
vincial Legislature of Saskatchewan and as a member of the House of
Commons at Ottawa from 1908 until 1921. His birth occurred at Camp-
beilton, New Brunswick, Canada, on the 3d of August, 1850, his parents
being Charles Stewart and Emily Allison (Sims) MacNutt, the former
a native of Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, and the latter of Jersey
Island, Channel Islands, Great Britain. Among his ancestors in the pater-
nal line, who were of Scotch and Irish lineage, were the Stewarts of
Argyle and the MacNaught clan of Kilquhanity, Galloway, Ireland. His
forbears on the maternal side numbered among them Sir John Stewart,
Baronet (Bt.), of Blackhall, Scotland, Hon. Peter Stewart, first Chief
Justice of Prince Edward Island, and his wife, Helen, daughter of Chief
MacKinnon of Clan MacKinnon, Scotland.  Thomas MacNutt was
a cousin of the late Sir Louis Davies, Chief Justice of Canada, and is a
cousin of Sir Joseph Pope, Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs in Canada.
Mrs. Emily Allison (Sims) MacNutt was a daughter of an officer of the
Royal Navy
	Thomas MacNutt began his education as a public school pupil of Prince
Edward Island and continued his studies in a grammar school of Ottawa,
while subsequently he pursued a course in a commercial college at Ottawa.
He spent the years 1868 and 1869 in the shipping office of J. G. Ross
in Quebec. During~ the period between 1874 and 1878 he was employed
as assistant and topographer in the special survey of the Northwest Ter-
ritories, while through the succeeding four years he engaged in farming
and performed service as Assistant Land Agent and Government Land
Guide in the vicinity of Minnedosa, Manitoba.  He was also a railway
and tie contractor for the Manitoba & Northwestern Railway, now the
Edmonton-Winnipeg Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1887 Mr. MacNutt be-
came resident manager of colonization work for the Commercial Coloniza-
tion Company and the Canada Settlers Company, working along the line
of the Manitoba & Northwestern Railway, with headquarters at Saltcoats,
Saskatchewan. He graded eleven miles of railroad between Saltcoats and
Yorkton in 1889. Through the intervening period to the present time, cov-
ering thirty-six years, Mr. MacNutt has devoted his attention to farming
and stock raising interests at Saltcoats, Saskatchewan, with excellent
success. He is honorary president of the Saltcoats Agricultural Society,
which he organized thirty-seven years ago and of which he served as
secretary and treasurer for sixteen years. He is also a director of the
Saltcoats Telephone Company.
	On the 16th of June, 1885, Mr. MacNutt was united in marriage to Miss
Margaret McFayden, a native of the county of Bruce, Ontario, Canada.
Her parents, both of whom were born in Argyleshire, Scotland, have passed
away. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas MacNutt became the parents of four chil-
dren, as follows: Charles Arthur, who died in 1919; Thomas Russell, who
was overseas, is now 0. C. Squadron "C", Sixteenth Light Horse, with
rank as major, and he is associated with his father in agricultural pur
suits at Saltcoats; Mary Lamont, at home; and Everett Alexander, who is
also at home. The eldest living member of the family, Major Thomas
R. MacNutt, wedded Miss Pearl Rusk and has a daughter who was born
on the 21st of June, 1924.
	The military record of the Hon. Mr. MacNutt covers service with the
Ottawa Rifles in Cornwall Fenian Raid (medals), in 1866, and with the
Minnedosa Home Guards in the rebellion led by Louis Riel in 1885. He
has always maintained an independent attitude concerning local politics
and in Dominion affairs was a Liberal until 1917, while during the suc-
ceeding three years he gave his support to the Union party as a Liberal
Unionist.  He was one of the original eight who formed the new Inde-
pendent party, now the Progressive party, which is pledged to support
measures without regard to political party or party names.  The Hon.
Mr. MacNutt served as a member of the Territorial Assembly from 1902
until 1905 and during the following three years represented the Salt-
coats constituency in the Provincial Legislature of Saskatchewan, of which
he was the first speaker. He rendered splendid public service as a mem-
ber of the House of Commons in Ottawa from 1908 until 1921 and he
also acted as justice of the peace and as coroner for many years. Fra-
ternally he was identified with the Canadian Order of Foresters, of which
he was chief ranger many years ago. In his younger years he was active
in all forms of athletics, being particularly fond of hunting and shoot-
ing.  He was formerly a Presbyterian' but is now an adherent of the
Union church. He is still an active factor in the world's work, though
nearing the seventy-fourth milestone on life's journey, and is widely known
and honored as a Saskatchewan pioneer and lawmaker.

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