Harvey Veniot

Who was Harvey Veniot?

Harvey Alfred Veniot was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Pictou West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1974 as a Progressive Conservative member.

He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, the son of Alexander R. Veniot and Gladys Maclean, and was educated at Pictou Academy, Saint Francis Xavier University, Dalhousie Law School and the University of Saskatchewan. He was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1940. Veniot married Rhoda Marion MacLeod in 1942. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1953. In 1960, he was named Queen's Counsel. Veniot was Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1961 to 1968. He served in the province's Executive Council as Minister of Agriculture in 1968 and Minister of Municipal Affairs in 1969. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1974 and returned to the practice of law. In 1979, he was named judge in the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia. At one time, Veniot served as solicitor for the town of Pictou.

The Harvey A. Veniot Causeway at Pictou was named after him.