# Harold Lawrence

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{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
'''Harold Frederick Lawrence''' (December 17, 1887 – 1953) was a politician in [Manitoba](/source/Manitoba), Canada.  He served in the [Legislative Assembly of Manitoba](/source/Legislative_Assembly_of_Manitoba) from 1932 to 1936.<ref name="members">{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/hansard/members/mla_bio_deceased.html#L0 |title=MLA Biographies - Deceased |work=Legislative Assembly of Manitoba |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330155427/http://www.gov.mb.ca/hansard/members/mla_bio_deceased.html#L0 |archivedate=2014-03-30 }}</ref>

Lawrence was born and educated in [Burton upon Trent](/source/Burton_upon_Trent), [England](/source/England) in 1887,<ref name="members"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://manitobia.ca/content/en/newspapers/WPT/1944/12/16/articles/191.xml/iarchives |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410033920/http://manitobia.ca/content/en/newspapers/WPT/1944/12/16/articles/191.xml/iarchives |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 10, 2013 |title=Congratulations |newspaper=Winnipeg Evening Tribune |date=December 16, 1944 |page=15 |accessdate=2013-03-15}}</ref> and came to Canada in 1907.  He worked as a railroad accountant for the [Canadian National Railway](/source/Canadian_National_Railway), and became involved in the provincial labour movement in 1915.  From 1917 to 1921, he served as general chairman of the Canadian Brotherhood Railroad Employees Western Lines.<ref name="mhs">{{cite web |url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/lawrence_hf.shtml |title=Harold Frederick Lawrence (1887-1953) |work=Memorable Manitobans |publisher=Manitoba Historical Society |accessdate=2013-03-09}}</ref>

Lawrence also became active in Manitoba's [Independent Labour Party](/source/Independent_Labour_Party_(in_Manitoba)_(II)) (ILP), and was first elected to the provincial legislature under its banner in the [1932 general election](/source/1932_Manitoba_general_election).  Running in [St. Boniface](/source/St._Boniface_(provincial_electoral_district)), he defeated longtime [Conservative](/source/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Manitoba) representative [Joseph Bernier](/source/Joseph_Bernier)<ref name="members"/> by 504 votes.  Bernier actually defeated Lawrence by six votes on first preferences, but lost on transfers; the province was using the [single transferable ballot](/source/single_transferable_ballot) at the time.

For the [1936 provincial election](/source/1936_Manitoba_general_election), the ILP ran candidates in an alliance with the newly formed [Cooperative Commonwealth Federation](/source/Manitoba_Cooperative_Commonwealth_Federation) (CCF).  Lawrence again finished second on first preferences, but was declared elected<ref name="members"/> on the third count over [Liberal-Progressive](/source/Manitoba_Liberal_Party) candidate [L.P. Gagnon](/source/L.P._Gagnon).  After the election, the provincial ILP organization was gradually superseded by the CCF.

In 1940, the Manitoba CCF joined an all-party [coalition government](/source/coalition_government).  Lawrence sat with his colleagues as a government backbencher, but did not seek re-election in the [provincial election of 1941](/source/1941_Manitoba_general_election). He died in 1953.<ref name="mhs" />

[Lloyd Stinson](/source/Lloyd_Stinson), who led the Manitoba CCF from 1952 to 1959, once described Lawrence as a "rough-and-ready railwayman".{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Harold}}
Category:1887 births
Category:1953 deaths
Category:Independent Labour Party (Manitoba, 1920) MLAs
Category:Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLAs
Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Category:People from Burton upon Trent
Category:English emigrants to Canada
Category:Canadian National Railway people

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Harold Lawrence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Lawrence) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Lawrence?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.