[Illustration: HON. WILFRID GARIEPY Edmonton]
=Aikins, Lt.-Col. Sir James Albert Manning, Kt., M.A., K.C.=, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, was born in Peel County, Ont., December 10, 1851, the son of Honorable James Cox Aikins, who was appointed a Senator at Confederation, and, on December 9, 1869, Secretary of State and Registrar General in Sir John A. Macdonald’s administration, and afterwards Minister of Inland Revenue, and later in 1882, appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Manitoba, and of the District of Keewatin, and upon the expiration of his term of office, a second time called to the Senate of Canada in 1896, and his wife Mary Elizabeth Somerset. Educated at Brampton High School, Upper Canada College and Toronto University (B.A., 1875, M.A., 1877), M.A. Ad eundem, Manitoba University, studied law in the office of Matthew Crooks Cameron and also Mowat, Maclennan and Downey, admitted to the Bar of Ontario, 1878, and to the Bar of Manitoba, 1879, in which year he went to Winnipeg, where he soon established himself as one of the leaders of the profession in the Province and few members of the Western Bar have held more responsible solicitorships. Sir James was solicitor and counsel for the Canadian Pacific Railway throughout the western division since its organization until he withdrew in 1911, to contest the constituency of Brandon in the House of Commons, for which he was returned by a large majority, retaining the seat until the general elections in 1917, when he was succeeded by Dr. H. P. Whidden (Conservative-Unionist). He was also counsel for the Dominion Express Co., Imperial Bank, Bank of Ottawa, Canadian Fire Insurance Co., Great West Life Assurance Co., Canada Permanent and Western Canada Land Co., Manitoba Northwest Land Co., Scottish American Investment Co. He is a director of the Northern Trusts Co., the Canada Fire Insurance Co., and numerous other financial corporations. From 1879 to 1896 he acted as counsel for the Department of Justice, and, in 1880, he was appointed by the Dominion Government one of the Royal Commissioners to investigate and report on the administration of Justice in the North-West Territories; was chief counsel for the Province of Manitoba during the administration of Hugh John Macdonald, drafting the Manitoba Liquor Bill, which, on appeal was sustained by the Privy Council in England and decided to be constitutional, and has been a model for similar legislation in other Provinces. Appointed K.C. in 1884, and created Knight Bachelor in June, 1914, Sir James Aikins is the senior of the Manitoba Bar and President of the Canadian Bar Association, President of the Conference of Commissioners on Uniformity of Law. Aug., 1916, appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba. Was elected bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba in 1886, and has filled a large number of other prominent positions and offices, i.e., President of Y.M.C.A.; The Canadian Club; Chairman, Wesley College, Manitoba; Honorary Bursar, Manitoba University; President Law Society of Manitoba. In June, 1912, was appointed to represent Canada at the second International Moral Education Congress, held at The Hague from August 22 to 27 of that year. A director of the Manitoba Agricultural College, Sir James takes great interest in all educational matters. Presented silver cup to Manitoba Mounted Rifles for general efficiency 1907; appointed Honorary Lieut.-Colonel 90th Regiment, Winnipeg Rifles December, 1910; is also Col. (Honorary) of the 99th Regiment, Brandon. A Methodist in religion, the subject of this sketch has always displayed much interest in the affairs of his church; was a member of the 20th Century Thanksgiving Fund, and of the Methodist Church Union Committee, and in 1896 carried a resolution in Grace Methodist Church, Winnipeg, heartily favoring organic union of Presbyterian, Congregational, and Methodist Churches of Canada. Sir James has been twice married—(first) to Mary B. McLellan, in 1884, (second) to Mary F. Colby, in 1889, and has three children, Gordon Harold Aikins, Barrister-at-Law, married to Myrtle Clint; Mary Helena Alberta Aikins; Elizabeth Grace Colby Aikins. Sir James has always taken a very prominent part in the affairs of the Dominion and that the success which has come to him early in life has been the reward of merit is generally admitted. He is a strong platform speaker, a brilliant advocate and sound lawyer, and at critical periods in the country’s history has shown much dominant force as a political factor. Sir James is extremely popular with the members of his profession with whom he has a Dominion-wide acquaintance, and has received every honor at the hands of his fellow-practitioners. He is a member of the following clubs: Manitoba, St.