Fonds F1054 - Donald Matheson Sutherland fonds

Donald Matheson Sutherland was born at Norwich, Ontario, in 1879. He graduated in medicine from the University of Toronto. He enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces on the first day of WWI and went overseas with the First Division. Sutherland was wounded at the second battle of Ypres and was invalided home, but returned to France as a commanding officer of the 52nd Battalion. He rose to the rank of Colonel and was awarded a D.S.O.
After the War, Sutherland was elected to parliament for North Oxford at the general election of 1925, but was defeated in the following year. In the 1930 election, he was returned to Parliament, and on August 7th, he joined Bennett's government as Minister of National Defence. He served in that portfolio until 1934 when he moved to Pensions and National Health, continuing to head the latter department until the defeat of the government and of himself in the general election of 1935. He lived out his retirement in Embro, Ontario. He died on June 4th, 1970.