 This forty-year period of service in the Commons is the second-longest in Canadian history, exceeded only by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, whose period of service (1874-1919) mostly overlaps with Haggart's.He was appointed as Postmaster General, serving in the cabinets of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir John Abbott until 1892, when he switched portfolios, serving as Minister of Railways and Canals until the defeat of the Conservative government in 1896.Prior to being elected to the House of Commons, Haggart was elected Mayor of Perth, Ontario three times