Thomas Wolstenholme
Thomas Wolstenholme was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 to 1936.
Wolstenholme was born and educated in Manchester, England, the son of Henry Wolstenholme and Mary Leech, and came to Canada in 1889. He was a director and shareholder of the Moline Cooperative Society, and served as reeve of the Rural Municipality of Saskatchewan in Manitoba from 1918 to 1922.
He first campaigned for the Manitoba legislature in the 1922 provincial election, as a candidate of the United Farmers of Manitoba in Hamiota. He was successful, defeating Liberal incumbent John Henry McConnell by 403 votes. The UFM unexpectedly won a majority of seats, and formed government as the Progressive Party. Wolstenholme served in the legislature as a backbench supporter of John Bracken's administration. He was re-elected without difficulty in the elections of 1927 and 1932. He did not seek re-election in 1936.
Before the 1932 election, the governing Progressives formed an electoral alliance with the Manitoba Liberal Party. Government members, including Wolstenholme, were known as "Liberal-Progressives" after this time.
Wolstenholme was struck by a car on November 14, 1952, and died of his injuries at the Minnedosa General Hospital two days later. His death was ruled an accident.
