David Laird

1833 - 1914

Mr. Laird was born on March 12, 1833 at New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island and son of The Honourable Alexander Laird who served on Prince Edward Island’s Executive Council.

The Honourable David Laird was the first resident Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories after it was established as a separate administrative area by the Northwest Territories Act of 1876. In 1977, Mr Laird negotiated treaty 7 with the Blackfoot nation located in Southern Alberta.

In 1864, Mr. Laird founded and was editor and publisher of the Charlottetown Patriot. David originally opposed Canadian confederation and in 1873 was sent to Ottawa to negotiate the admission of Prince Edward Island into the new Dominion. Mr. Laird sat on the Charlottetown City Council, its Board of Education and Board of Works and was Governor of the Prince of Wales College. In 1871 to 1873, Mr. Laird represented the electoral district of Belfast in the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly and Queen’s County in the Canadian federal House of Commons from 1873 to 1876. From 1873 to 1876, Mr Laird was appointed Minister of the Interior by Prime Minister Alexander McKenzie. During the summer of 1874, David negotiated with the Qu’Appelle Lakes Treaty with Indians of this region and the importance of treaty negotiations to the construction of the Dominion Telegraph and the Canadian Pacific Railway.

In 1876, David Laird was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories made by Earl of Dufferin, Governor General of Canada. In 1879, he and his Council moved to the new territorial capital of Battleford and he served as Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories until 1881.

From 1881 to 1898, Mr Laird served as editor of the Charlottetown Patriot and in 1898, he was appointed Indian Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Keewatin, a position he held until his death. In 1899, David Laird negotiated Treaty 8 with the Indian poluation of the vast District of Athabasca located north of Edmonton. After 1909, he served as an adviser to the Department of Indian Affairs in Ottawa.