James Steedsman was a Manitoba farmer who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 as a member of the agrarian Progressive Party of Canada

Progressive Party of Canada

The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...

.

He was born in Molesworth, Ontario

Molesworth, Ontario

Molesworth is a small community located in the town of Huron East in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Molesworth was founded in 1852 by John Mitchell and his family, who operated a general store which served the influx of settlers to the area...

 and schooled in Oxford County, Ontario

Oxford County, Ontario

Oxford County is a regional municipality and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Southern portion of the province. The regional seat is in Woodstock...

. In 1882, he moved to Deloraine, Manitoba

Deloraine, Manitoba

Deloraine is a farming town in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is situated near the Turtle Mountains in the southwestern corner of the province. Located in the Westman Region, the town is 100 kilometres south of Brandon, the region's largest centre...

 where he became a farmer.

He became involved in the farmers' movement and served as vice-president of the Manitoba Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company, and Director of the Deloraine Milling Company.

Steedsman was first elected from Souris

Souris (electoral district)

Souris was a federal electoral district in the province of Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1953.This riding was created in 1903 from parts of Brandon and Lisgar ridings....

 to the House of Commons in the 1921 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1921

The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...

 in which the Progressives made their breakthrough; defeating Manitoba Conservative Party leader Richard Gardiner Willis

Richard Gardiner Willis

Richard Gardiner Willis was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was the leader of the Manitoba Conservative Party from 1919 to 1922, and served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 until his death....

. He was re-elected in the 1925 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1925

The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held on October 29 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party formed a minority government. This precipitated the "King-Byng Affair".The Liberals under...

 and again in 1926

Canadian federal election, 1926

The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair...

 before being defeated in the 1930 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1930

The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...

.