Lemuel John Tweedie

Lemuel John Tweedie (November 30, 1849 – July 15, 1917) was a Canadian politician.

Lemuel John Tweedie
Lemuel John Tweedie
10th Premier of New Brunswick
In office August 31, 1900 – March 6, 1907
Monarch	Victoria Edward VII
Lieutenant Governor	Abner Reid McClelan Jabez Bunting Snowball Himself
Preceded by	Henry Robert Emmerson
Succeeded by	William Pugsley
12th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
In office March 6, 1907 – March 6, 1912
Monarch	Edward VII George V
Governor General	The Earl Grey The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Premier	William Pugsley Clifford W. Robinson J. Douglas Hazen James K. Flemming
Preceded by	Jabez Bunting Snowball
Succeeded by	Josiah Wood
MLA for Northumberland
In office June 13, 1874 – June 8, 1878 Serving with William Swim, William Moore Kelly, Allan A. Davidson
Preceded by	Michael Adams
Succeeded by	Thomas F. Gillespie
In office April 26, 1886 – March 6, 1907 Serving with Michael Adams, John Percival Burchill, John Morrissy, William A. Park, James Robinson, Allan A. Davidson, Charles Elijah Fish, W. S. Loggie, Ernest Hutchinson, John O'Brien, Donald Morrison
Preceded by	Thomas F. Gillespie
Succeeded by	Daniel P. McLachlan
Personal details
Born	(1849-11-30)November 30, 1849 Chatham, New Brunswick Canada
Died	July 15, 1917(1917-07-15) (aged 67) Chatham, New Brunswick Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Agnes Loudoun ​ (m. 1876)​
Children	4 sons and 2 daughters
Alma mater	Presbyterian Academy
Occupation	Lawyer
Profession	Politician

His law partner in Chatham, New Brunswick for a time was Richard Bedford Bennett, later Prime Minister of Canada; and for a time Max Aitken was his office boy.

A former supporter of the federal Conservatives, he joined the Liberal Cabinet of New Brunswick Premier Andrew George Blair serving as Surveyor-General and Provincial Secretary in successive Liberal governments. Tweedie became Premier of the province in 1900 and led the party to a large majority government in the 1903 election.

Tweedie's government allowed women to be admitted to the practice of law in 1906 and supported the development of hydroelectric power at Grand Falls. He also created a Workers' Compensation board and successfully lobbied the federal government to increase subsidies to the province including payment for railway expansion. He led the government for seven years before becoming the 12th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, holding that position until 1912.

A supporter of educational institutions, Tweedie personally donated academic prizes for students. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, plus the Halifax School for the Blind.

Lemuel Tweedie died in 1917 at age sixty-seven in his home town of Chatham[1] and was buried in the Riverside Cemetery. His son Frederick served as a member of the provincial assembly.