Peter Veniot

Peter John Veniot, PC (October 4, 1863 – July 6, 1936) was a businessman and newspaper owner and a politician in New Brunswick, Canada. He was the first Acadian premier of the province of New Brunswick.[1]

Peter John Veniot
Peter J. Veniot as Postmaster General
18th Premier of New Brunswick
In office
February 28, 1923 – September 14, 1925
MonarchGeorge V
Lieutenant GovernorWilliam Pugsley
William Frederick Todd
Preceded byWalter E. Foster
Succeeded byJohn B. M. Baxter
MLA for Gloucester
In office
November 5, 1894 – January 6, 1900
Preceded byThéotime Blanchard
Succeeded byJohn Young
In office
February 24, 1917 – September 14, 1926
Serving with James P. Byrne, Ivan Rand, John B. London, Seraphine R. Léger, Jean George Robichaud, J. André Doucet
Preceded byJohn B. Hatchey
Succeeded byClovis-Thomas Richard
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Gloucester
In office
September 14, 1926 – July 6, 1936
Preceded byJean George Robichaud
Succeeded byClarence Joseph Veniot
Personal details
Born(1863-10-04)October 4, 1863
Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada
DiedJuly 6, 1936(1936-07-06) (aged 72)
Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)
Catherine Melanson
​
(m. 1885)​
Children6 sons
Alma materPictou Academy
Occupationbusinessman and newspaper owner
Professionpolitician

Early life and career

He was born in Richibucto, New Brunswick but later moved to Pictou, Nova Scotia with his family. Veniot worked as a journalist and typographer for the Pictou Standard and then the Moncton Transcript. He then moved to Bathurst, where he became editor and later owner of Le Courrier des Provinces Maritimes.

Political career

Veniot was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1894, but left politics in 1900 for a customs job. In 1912, he was hired to reorganize the Liberal Party of New Brunswick, and became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) again in 1917.

He served in the cabinet of Premier Walter Foster as Minister of Public Works. As Minister, Veniot was responsible for the creation of the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission and the modernization of the province's highway system.

Veniot became Premier in 1923 following Foster's resignation. He was a supporter of the Maritime Rights Movement or Duncan Commission, which advocated more power for the Maritime provinces in Canadian confederation. His government was defeated in the 1925 provincial election.

Veniot resigned as provincial Liberal leader in 1926 in order to enter federal politics in the 1926 federal election. He served as Postmaster General in the cabinet of William Lyon Mackenzie King. In cabinet, Veniot advocated implementation of the Duncan Commission recommendations on alleviating Maritime alienation. Recommendations of freight-rate reductions and subsidy increases were implemented, but suggestions for subsidies based on fiscal need and transportation use to encourage regional development were ignored.

Death

Veniot remained a Member of Parliament until his death at his home in Bathurst in 1936.[2]

Personal life

Married in 1885 to Catherine Melanson,[3] their son Clarence Joseph was elected in the federal riding of Gloucester by-election after his death. He and his wife are interred in Bathurst, in the cemetery adjacent to the offices of the newspaper that made his fortune.

References
  1. "Pierre Veniot becomes Premier of New Brunswick". www.clo-ocol.gc.ca. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  2. "Hon. P. Veniot dies At Home At Age Of 72". The Ottawa Journal. 7 Jul 1936. p. 11. Retrieved 24 December 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Further reading
  • Arthur T. Doyle, Front Benches and Back Rooms: A story of corruption, muckraking, raw partisanship and political intrigue in New Brunswick, Toronto: Green Tree Publishing, 1976.
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