Donald McNiven

Who was Donald McNiven?

Donald Alexander McNiven was a Canadian politician on the provincial and federal level. He was born in Walkerton, Ontario and became a barrister and judge.

McNiven attended public and secondary schools at Virden, Manitoba. He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1909 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

He was elected as a provincial Liberal member to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan at the Regina City riding in a by-election on 19 September 1922. He was a member of that legislature until his defeat in the 1929 provincial election.

McNiven was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the Liberal party at the Regina City riding in the 1935 general election and re-elected there in 1940.

McNiven resigned from the House of Commons on 19 October 1944 before the end of the 19th Canadian Parliament to become a judge on the Saskatchewan Court of King's Bench. In that same year, he also began to serve on various wartime-related boards. In 1949, he was made a judge of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan where he presided until shortly before his death in July 1961.