George Nicholson

Who was George Nicholson?

George Brecken Nicholson was a Conservative and Unionist member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Crapaud, Prince Edward Island and became a lumber merchant.

Nicholson attended public and grammar schools at Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. In 1884, he joined the Canadian Pacific Railway for construction work, remaining in that job until 1901. Nicholson was established in northern Ontario by the end of the 19th Century. In business, he was part of the lumber firm Austin and Nicholson and became president and secretary-treasurer of the McNaught Lumber company. Nicholson was also a director of the Excelsior Life Insurance company.

He was first elected to Parliament as a supporter of Sir Robert Borden's wartime Union Government in Algoma East riding during the 1917 general election. After serving one term, he was a Conservative candidate in the 1921 election but was defeated by John Carruthers of the Liberals. Nicholson returned to the House of Commons when he defeated Carruthers in the 1925 election. After another term in Parliament, Nicholson again lost his Algoma East seat to Beniah Bowman of the United Farmers of Ontario in the 1926 election.