John McDowell

John McDowell (September 16, 1894 – June 10, 1980) was a British-born Canadian merchant and politician in Manitoba. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Progressive Conservative from 1945 to 1958. Early life and education The son of John McDowell and Janet Shaw, McDowell was born in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland and immigrated to Canada with his family in 1895. He was educated in Toronto, Ontario. Career McDowell worked as a grain dealer, and was president of McDowell Grain Co. Ltd and Ridgewood Development Co. Ltd. He was also on the board of governors of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange. Manitoba Assembly He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election, in the constituency of Iberville. At the time, Manitoba was governed by a coalition ministry of Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives. McDowell ran as an Independent Progressive Conservative supporting the coalition, and defeated Liberal-Progressive W.D. Lawrence by over 400 votes.