James J. Donnelly (November 14, 1866 – October 20, 1948), was appointed to the Senate of Canada for life by Prime Minister Robert Laird Borden May 26, 1913, to represent the senatorial division for Bruce South, Ontario.
With more than 40 years of political experience, Senator Donnelly died at the home he built in Pinkerton on October 20, 1948, at the age of 81, approximately one and one half miles from where he was born.
Prior to the Canadian Senate, James J. Donnelly was the Reeve and Clerk for the Township of Greenock, Ontario and Warden of Bruce County in 1902.
So he moved with his young family to the nearby village of Pinkerton where in 1904 he built a spacious white brick residence.
For her achievements in Community Service during World War II, she was named a member of the Order of the British Empire by George VI in 1946.