Malcolm Mercer Hollett
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Mercer Hollett was a Newfoundland magistrate
, politician and Canadian Senator
.
Hollett was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1915 after graduating from Mount Allison University
in New Brunswick
but he delayed going to the University of Oxford
in order to enlist in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He enrolled at Oxford after World War I
and graduated with a diploma in economics in 1921.
He returned to Newfoundland after his studies and was appointed magistrate
. Hollett led relief efforts after the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake
created a tsunami
that devastated the communities of the Burin Peninsula
where he lived.
Hollett served in the Newfoundland National Convention
and was a member of the colony's 1947 delegation to London. He opposed Newfoundland joining Canadian confederation and supported the reinstitution of responsible government
. During the 1948 referendums on Newfoundland's future
, Hollett was a leading member of the Responsible Government League
that campaigned against joining Canada.
He ran and was elected to the House of Assembly
as a Progressive Conservative
member for St. John's West
in 1952. The next year, he became leader of the Progressive Conservative party and Leader of the Opposition
.
He led the party through the 1956
but was unable to increase the party's seat total beyond the four seats it had when he became leader. In the 1959 provincial election
Newfoundland Premier and Liberal leader Joey Smallwood
challenged Hollett in his own riding and defeated him, reducing the Tories to three seats in the House of Assembly. Hollett resigned as party leader. Smallwood decided to run against Hollett after the Tory leader opposed a government motion of censure against the federal Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker.
He was appointed to the Senate by Diefenbaker in 1961 and sat as a Progressive Conservative
. He resigned in 1971 at the age of 80 and returned to Newfoundland. He died in 1985 at the age of 94.
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, politician and Canadian Senator
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
.
Hollett was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1915 after graduating from Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canadian liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located about a half hour from the regional city of Moncton and 20 minutes from the Greater Moncton International Airport...
in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
but he delayed going to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in order to enlist in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He enrolled at Oxford after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and graduated with a diploma in economics in 1921.
He returned to Newfoundland after his studies and was appointed magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
. Hollett led relief efforts after the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake
1929 Grand Banks earthquake
The 1929 Grand Banks earthquake, also called the Laurentian Slope earthquake and the South Shore Disaster, was a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that occurred on November 18, 1929 in the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Laurentian Slope Seismic Zone.The earthquake was centred on...
created a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
that devastated the communities of the Burin Peninsula
Burin Peninsula
The Burin Peninsula is a Canadian peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
where he lived.
Hollett served in the Newfoundland National Convention
Newfoundland National Convention
The Newfoundland National Convention of 1946 was a forum established to decide the constitutional future of Newfoundland-Nominations:On 11 December 1945 the Government of Britain announced that there would be an election to a National Convention, which would debate constitutional options and make a...
and was a member of the colony's 1947 delegation to London. He opposed Newfoundland joining Canadian confederation and supported the reinstitution of responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
. During the 1948 referendums on Newfoundland's future
Newfoundland referendums, 1948
The Newfoundland Referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the country would join Canada, remain under British rule...
, Hollett was a leading member of the Responsible Government League
Responsible Government League
The Responsible Government League was a political movement in the Dominion of Newfoundland.The Responsible Government League of Newfoundland, led by Peter Cashin, was formed in February 1947 by anti-Confederation delegates to the Newfoundland National Convention on the future of the colony...
that campaigned against joining Canada.
He ran and was elected to the House of Assembly
Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...
as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador
For pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
member for St. John's West
St. John's West
St. John's West was a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1949 to 2003.This riding was created in 1949 when Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation....
in 1952. The next year, he became leader of the Progressive Conservative party and Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Newfoundland and Labrador)
The Leader of the Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.This list is incomplete...
.
He led the party through the 1956
Newfoundland general election, 1956
The 32nd Newfoundland general election was held on 2 October 1956 to elect members of the 31st General Assembly of Newfoundland, the third general election for the province of Newfoundland, Canada. It was won by the Liberal party.-Results:...
but was unable to increase the party's seat total beyond the four seats it had when he became leader. In the 1959 provincial election
Newfoundland general election, 1959
The 33rd Newfoundland general election was held on 20 August 1959 to elect members of the 32nd General Assembly of Newfoundland, the fourth general election for the province of Newfoundland, Canada...
Newfoundland Premier and Liberal leader Joey Smallwood
Joey Smallwood
Joseph Roberts "Joey" Smallwood, PC, CC was the main force that brought Newfoundland into the Canadian confederation, and became the first Premier of Newfoundland . As premier, he vigorously promoted economic development, championed the welfare state, and emphasized modernization of education and...
challenged Hollett in his own riding and defeated him, reducing the Tories to three seats in the House of Assembly. Hollett resigned as party leader. Smallwood decided to run against Hollett after the Tory leader opposed a government motion of censure against the federal Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker.
He was appointed to the Senate by Diefenbaker in 1961 and sat as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
. He resigned in 1971 at the age of 80 and returned to Newfoundland. He died in 1985 at the age of 94.