Sydney Smith McDermand was a Canadian farmer and politician.

He was born in Elgin County, Ontario

Elgin County, Ontario

Elgin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario with a current population of approximately 46,000. The county seat is St. Thomas.It consists of:*Town of Aylmer*Municipality of Bayham*Municipality of Central Elgin...

 where he lived his entire life. A farmer, he became active in local politics as a member of the township council from 1908 to 1912 and again in 1931.

He was first 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...

 from Elgin East

Elgin East

Elgin East was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario...

 in a 1920 by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 as a United Farmers of Ontario

United Farmers of Ontario

The United Farmers of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada. It was the Ontario provincial branch of the United Farmers movement of the early part of the 20th century.- Foundation and rise :...

 MP but was defeated as a Progressive

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...

 candidate in 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...

 by Conservative John Lawrence Stansell

John Lawrence Stansell

John Lawrence Stansell was a Conservative member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Haughton, Ontario and became a pure bred livestock breeder and farmer.He attended schools at Tuscarora and Aylmer...

by less than 100 votes. After leaving politics he became an insurance agent for South Dorchester Farm Mutual and went on to serve as the firm's president for 18 years.