Thomas John Bentley

Who was Thomas John Bentley?

Thomas John Bentley was a Canadian politician, agrologist, farmer and organizer.

The son of Wells Bentley and Annie Brown, he was educated in Nova Scotia. Bentley went on to work as a logger and in railway construction. In 1914, he married Lenora Rachel Chabot. He served overseas in the 66th Battalion, Edmonton Guards of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I, receiving the Distinguished Conduct Medal. After his return to Canada in 1919, he moved to the Preeceville, Saskatchewan area, where he farmed. From 1926 to 1944, Bentley worked for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1945 as a Member of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation to represent the riding of Swift Current. After his defeat when he ran for reelection in 1949, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan that same year as a member of the Saskatchewan Cooperative Commonwealth Federation to represent the electoral district of Gull Lake. During this term, he served concurrently as the Minister of Public Health and the Minister in charge of the Health Services Planning Commission.