During the winter a collection of personal correspondence, papers, photographs, cards, diary, etc. were donated to the Archives by a Hamilton resident. The material related mainly to the Thomas Bain and John Weir families of West Flamborough Township and is of great interest in that it is a record, not only of life in Flamborough, but also in the nation’s capital.
Thomas Bain, son of Walter Bain and Jane Reid was born December 14, 1834 at Denny, Stirlingshire, Scotland. The family emigrated to Canada in 1837, settling on a farm on the second concession of West Flamborough Township near Rock Chapel, where they resided until the autumn of 1854 when they moved to Strabane. Thomas attended local schools and on completing his education, purchased property close to his parents and became a farmer in the Strabane area. According to an article published in the Dundas Banner to celebrate their 50th Anniversary,
Mr. Bain as a young man was early recognized as a leader of men, and soon his friends urged him to accept a place on the township council.
He served for several years on West Flamborough Township Council, was twice elected Reeve before becoming Warden of Wentworth County in 1870. His interest in politics grew during these years he spent in local government. During contests in North Wentworth for the Ontario Legislature in which Mr. Robert Christie was the candidate, Thomas Bain was asked to accompany him and take part in the addresses he made. He made such an impression upon the party leaders of the time with his speaking ability that he was requested to accept the nomination as the Liberal candidate for the 1872 election.
He won the election and went to Ottawa as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Wentworth North which he represented until 1891. Soon after his election to Parliament, on June 25, 1874, he married Miss Helen Weir, daughter of John Weir of West Flamborough. The donor of the Bain papers believes this election to Ottawa was the reason that the couple were finally able to marry, as Thomas had courted Helen Weir for a decade without receiving permission to make her his wife.
In 1896, representing Wentworth South, he was again returned to Parliament, where he chaired the Committee on Agriculture. Though an ardent imperialist, he supported reciprocity with the United States. He was extremely critical of the Conservatives’ National Policy which he said, “means that one class of citizen is taxed to make the business of another citizen profitable”.
During this session of Parliament, the Speaker of the House of Commons died, and Thomas Bain was elected to fill the position in August 1899. This was an enormous honour that his fellow politicians bestowed upon him, and also an historic one, as he was the first farmer so honoured. The Dundas Banner described the even in great detail, stating that “he was the first commoner in the land to be elected to the position, which he filled with great dignity and impartiality and which is a fitting tribute to his long and successful political career as well as recognition of the importance of the great agricultural industries which he represented”.
He remained in office until parliament was prorogued in October 1900, and declined offers to run again in the following election. He also declined a political appointment to the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway Commission. Instead he retired to Dundas where he built a fine house, “Bonnington” at 182 King Street West and entered into several financial and commercial enterprises. He became President of the Landed Banking and Loan Company and the Malcolm and Souter Furniture Company. The remaining years of his life were spent quietly with his family and friends. Two daughters were born to Thomas and Helen Bain, Helen Dawson (1880-1957) and Mary (?-1964) who married James Benner Bertram of Dundas. Thomas Bain died 18 January 1915 in Dundas and was buried in the Grove Cemetery.
© The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society 1995, 2022.
