# 1st Manitoba Legislature

The members of the 1st Manitoba Legislature were elected in the Manitoba general election held in December 1870, the first general election for the new province. The legislature sat from March 15, 1871, to December 16, 1874.
Lieutenant Governor Adams George Archibald's "Government party" held the balance of power in the assembly with 17 seats. The Canadian Party, also known as the "Loyal party", led by John Christian Schultz, won 5 seats; they demanded swift punishment for the leaders of the Red River Rebellion. Henry Joseph Clarke served as government house leader in the assembly but Lieutenant Governor Archibald performed the functions of Premier. In December 1872, Alexander Morris replaced Archibald as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
In July 1874, a government led by Henry Joseph Clarke was defeated by a motion of non-confidence. Marc-Amable Girard was asked to form a government and was allowed to select the members of his cabinet, thus introducing responsible government to the province. On December 1, 1874, all but one member of the Girard cabinet resigned due to ethnic tensions. Robert Atkinson Davis was asked to form a new government which went to the polls later that month.
Joseph Royal served as speaker for the assembly from 1871 to 1872. Curtis James Bird was speaker from 1873 to 1874.
There were four sessions of the 1st Legislature:
| Session | Start | End |
| 1st | March 15, 1871 | May 3, 1871 |
| 2nd | January 16, 1872 | February 21, 1872 |
| 3rd | February 3, 1873 | July 22, 1873 |
| 4th | November 4, 1873 | July 22, 1874 |

## Members of the Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1870:
| Member | Electoral district | Affiliation | First elected |
| Joseph Dubuc | Baie St. Paul | Government | 1870 |
| John Taylor | Headingly | Opposition | 1870 |
| James Cunningham | Headingly | Government | 1871 |
| John Norquay | High Bluff | Government | 1870 |
| John Sutherland | Kildonan | Opposition | 1870 |
| Angus McKay | Lake Manitoba | Government | 1870 |
| David Spence | Poplar Point | Government | 1870 |
| Frederick Bird | Portage la Prairie | Opposition | 1870 |
| Alfred Boyd | St. Andrews North | Government | 1870 |
| Edward Hay | St. Andrews South | Opposition | 1870 |
| Marc-Amable Girard | St. Boniface East | Government | 1870 |
| Louis Schmidt | St. Boniface West | Government | 1870 |
| Henry Joseph Clarke | St. Charles | Government | 1870 |
| Thomas Bunn | St. Clements | Independent | 1870 |
| Pascal Breland | St. Francois Xavier East | Government | 1870 |
| Joseph Royal | St. Francois Xavier West | Government | 1870 |
| Edwin Bourke | St. James | Opposition | 1870 |
| Joseph Lemay | St. Norbert North | Government | 1870 |
| Pierre Delorme | St. Norbert South | Government | 1870 |
| Curtis Bird | St. Pauls | Government | 1870 |
| Thomas Howard | St Peters | Government | 1870 |
| André Beauchemin | St. Vital | Government | 1870 |
| George Klyne | Ste. Agathe | Independent | 1870 |
| John McTavish | Ste. Anne | Government | 1870 |
| Donald Alexander Smith | Winnipeg and St. John | Government | 1870 |
| Robert Atkinson Davis (1874) | Winnipeg and St. John | Opposition | 1874 |
Notes:
* ↑ Taylor's election was later overturned and Government supporter James Cunningham was declared elected
* ↑ Smith was forced to resign when serving in both provincial and federal legislatures became illegal in May 1873

## By-elections

By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
| Electoral district | Member elected | Affiliation | Election date | Reason |
| Winnipeg and St. John | Robert Atkinson Davis | Opposition | April 1874 | DA Smith resigned after dual representation abolished |
Notes: