Ross Thatcher

Leader of the Opposition
In office June 8, 1960 – May 22, 1964
Preceded by	Alexander H. McDonald
Succeeded by	Woodrow Lloyd
Personal details
Born	Wilbert Ross Thatcher (1917-05-14)May 14, 1917 Liberal (1957–1971)
Spouse	Peggy ​ (m. 1938)​
Children	Colin

Wilbert Ross Thatcher,

. Thatcher was defeated in his first election in 1960, but won the next two elections in 1964 and 1967 with majority governments. Following his defeat in the general election of 1971, he retired from politics and died shortly afterwards.

Early life, family, education, and early business career

Born in

He graduated from high school at 15, and attended Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, where he earned a commerce degree at 18.^[2]

Immediately following graduation, Thatcher became executive assistant to the vice-president of

Political career

Federal CCF Member of Parliament

Believing that because of the

Thatcher grew increasingly uncomfortable in the CCF because of his roots in the business world, and he soon found himself on the right wing of the party caucus.

Mossbank debate

During the 1957 federal campaign, Thatcher attacked the provincial CCF government's record on

The debate was widely regarded as a draw. However, many observers believed that Thatcher had more than held his own against the formidable Douglas. The debate established Thatcher as the province's main anti-CCF standard bearer.[2]^[4]

Defeat in federal politics

Thatcher was defeated by Hazen Argue of the CCF in the 1957 federal election and again in 1958.

Entry to provincial politics

Despite his defeat at the federal level, Thatcher was courted by the provincial

Thatcher himself was elected to the

Morse

.

Enters ranching business

In the late 1950s, Thatcher transitioned away from hardware, and into farming and cattle ranching, in the Moose Jaw area. He employed his son Colin as a full-time manager of his agricultural businesses, starting in 1962. The younger Thatcher had earned two agricultural degrees at Iowa State University. The new business ventures proved successful.^[3]

Premier of Saskatchewan

The Liberals had gained momentum, however, and the anti-CCF opposition coalesced around them, particularly in the face of events such as the

In the 1964 provincial election, the Liberals won a narrow victory that ended 20 years of CCF-NDP government.^[2][6] The Liberals were only 0.1% ahead of the CCF in the popular vote. However, a sharp decline in Social Credit support allowed the Liberals to win a six-seat majority.

By now, there was very little left of Thatcher's roots in the CCF. His government sold several crown corporations and declared the province "open for business" by encouraging private investment in the potash and other industries.^[2]

On economic issues, Thatcher's government was

Thatcher was re-elected with a slightly-increased majority in 1967. He then introduced an austerity program, which cut government services, increased taxes, and introduced user fees on medical procedures. Reduced government investment hurt both the potash industry and agriculture, and Thatcher's administration became increasingly unpopular.^[2]

His government was defeated by the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, the new name of the Saskatchewan CCF,^[6] which was led by Allan Blakeney, in the June 1971 election.^[2] Although the Liberals won roughly the same number of votes as in 1967, a collapse in Progressive Conservative support resulted in the Liberals losing almost half of their seats.

Death

In July 1971, only a few weeks after his defeat in the election, he died in his sleep in

]

CTV News journalist Keith Morrison interviewed Thatcher only a few hours before his death and is believed to be the last reporter to speak to him.^[7]

Family

Peggy Thatcher

Thatcher's widow, Peggy, was persuaded to run for the federal parliament in support of Trudeau's Liberals in the 1972 federal election but came only a weak third in Regina East.^[8]

Colin Thatcher

In the

Electoral history

Summary

Thatcher ranks eighth out of the fifteen Premiers of Saskatchewan for time in office, from May 22, 1964 to June 30, 1971, for a total of 7 years, 39 days.^[10]

He led the

(NDP). Thatcher was the sixth and last Liberal premier to date.

Thatcher was elected to the

Prior to entering provincial politics, Thatcher had been involved in federal politics, originally as a member of the CCF, then as an Independent, and finally as a Liberal.[12]

Saskatchewan general elections, 1960 to 1971

Thatcher led the Liberals in four general elections:

. He won two elections with majority governments, but also lost two, in 1960 and 1971.

1960 General election

In Thatcher's first general election as Liberal leader, Douglas again led the CCF to a majority government. Thatcher became the

.

Saskatchewan General Election: June 8, 1960

Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote	Popular Vote Percentage
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Tommy Douglas1	37	276,846	40.76%
	Liberal	Ross Thatcher2	17	221,932	32.67%
	Progressive Conservative	Martin Pederson	0	94,737	13.95%
	Social Credit	–	0	83,895	12.35%
	Independent	–	0	1,417	0.21%
	Communist	–	0	380	0.06%
Total			54	679,207	100.00%
Source: Elections Saskatchewan — Election Results — 1960

¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after election.
² Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party without seat in the Assembly when election called; Leader of the Opposition after election.

1964 General election

The 1964 election was very close in the popular vote, with a difference of only 660 votes between the Liberals and the CCF. The distribution of votes in the ridings gave the Liberals a majority, ending the CCF's seventeen year term in office. Thatcher defeated Premier Woodrow Lloyd and became premier. Lloyd became Leader of the Opposition.

Saskatchewan General Election: April 22, 1964

Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote	Popular Vote Percentage
	Liberal	Ross Thatcher1	32	269,402	40.40%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Woodrow Lloyd2	25	268,742	40.30%
	Progressive Conservative	Martin Pederson	1	126,028	18.90%
	Social Credit	–	0	2,621	0.39%
	Communist	–	0	68	0.01%
Total			58	666,861	100.00%
Source: Elections Saskatchewan — Election Results — 1964

¹ Leader of the Opposition before election was called; Premier after election.
² Premier when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after election.

1967 General election

In the 1967 election, Thatcher led the Liberals to another majority government, the last time the Liberals have formed the government in Saskatchewan. Thatcher defeated Lloyd for a second time. Lloyd resigned as party leader before the next election, being succeeded by Alan Blakeney.

Saskatchewan General Election: October 11, 1967

Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote	Popular Vote Percentage
	Liberal	Ross Thatcher1	35	193,871	45.57%
	New Democratic Party	Woodrow Lloyd2	24	188,653	44.35%
	Progressive Conservative	Martin Pederson	0	41,583	9.78%
	Social Credit	–	0	1,296	0.30%
Total			59	425,403	100.00%
Source: Elections Saskatchewan — Election Results — 1967

¹ Premier before election was called; Premier after election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after election.

1971 General election

In the 1971 election, Thatcher again led the Liberals, but was defeated by Allan Blakeney, the new leader of the NDP, who won a majority government. Thatcher died a month after the election.

Saskatchewan General Election: June 23, 1971

Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote	Popular Vote Percentage
	New Democratic Party	Allan Blakeney1	45	248,978	55.00%
	Liberal	Ross Thatcher2	15	193,864	42.82%
	Progressive Conservative	Edward Nasserden	0	9,659	2.13%
	Independent	–	0	189	0.04%
	Communist	–	0	46	0.01%
Total			60	452,736	100.00%
Source: Elections Saskatchewan - Election Results - 1971

¹ Leader of the Opposition before election was called; Premier after election.
² Premier when election was called; died a month after the election.

Saskatchewan constituency elections

Thatcher stood for election to the Legislative Assembly in four general elections, all in the constituency of

1960 General election: Morse

General Election, June 8, 1960: Morse

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Liberal	E Ross Thatcher	2,791	42.29%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Robert Davis	2,629	39.83%
	Social Credit	Peter Harder	657	9.95%
	Progressive Conservative	George Gurney	523	7.92%
Total			6,600	99.99%1
Source: Saskatchewan Archives — Election Results by Electoral Division - Morse[13]

E Elected
¹ Rounding error

1964 General election: Morse

General Election, April 22, 1964: Morse

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Liberal	E X Ross Thatcher	3,188	51.92%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	Paul Warren Beach	2,952	48.08%
Total			6,140	100.00%
Source: Saskatchewan Archives — Election Results by Electoral Division — Morse[13]

E Elected
X Incumbent

1967 General election: Morse

General Election, October 11, 1967: Morse

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Liberal	E X Ross Thatcher	3,396	52.34%
	New Democratic Party	Louis H. Lewry	2,398	36.96%
	Progressive Conservative	Earl Cooper	694	10.70%
Total			6,488	100.00%
Source: Saskatchewan Archives — Election Results by Electoral Division — Morse[13]

E Elected
X Incumbent

1971 General election: Morse

General Election, June 23, 1971: Morse

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Liberal	E X Ross Thatcher	3,502	55.72%
	New Democratic Party	Paul Warren Beach	2,783	44.28%
Total			6,285	100.00%
Source: Saskatchewan Archives — Election Results by Electoral Division — Morse[13]

E Elected
X Incumbent

Federal constituency elections, 1945 to 1958

Thatcher stood for election to the House of Common five times, in three different Saskatchewan ridings. He was elected three times and defeated twice. He first stood for election as a member of the CCF, and was elected three times (1945, 1949, 1953). However, part way through his third term as a Member of Parliament, he left the CCF and sat as an independent, from 1955 to 1957. He then ran as a Liberal in the general elections of 1957 and 1958, but was defeated both times.[12]

1945 General election: Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	E Ross Thatcher	9,831	49.03%
	Liberal	X John Gordon Ross	5,862	29.24%
	Progressive Conservative	Frederick James Gilmour	4,358	21.73%
Total			20,051	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament – Moose Jaw[12]

E Elected
X Incumbent

1949 General election: Moose Jaw

Federal Election, 1949

: Moose Jaw

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	E X Ross Thatcher	10,026	48.17%
	Liberal	Edward Langdon Pudden	7,444	35.76%
	Progressive Conservative	Leila Elsie Smiley	3,344	16.07%
Total			20,814	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament – Moose Jaw[12]

E Elected
X Incumbent

1953 General election: Moose Jaw—Lake Centre

Federal Election, 1953: Moose Jaw—Lake Centre

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation1	E Ross Thatcher	12,436	52.41%
	Liberal	James Lawrence Gemmell	6,021	25.37%
	Progressive Conservative	James Ernest Pascoe	4,480	18.88%
	Labor–Progressive	Frederick Nelson Clarke	792	3.34%
Total			23,729	100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – Moose Jaw—Lake Centre[12]

E Elected
¹ Elected as a member of the CCF, but left the CFF caucus in 1955 and sat as an independent for the rest of his term as a Member of Parliament.

1957 General election: Assiniboia

Assiniboia

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	E X Hazen Robert Argue	10,389	47.04%
	Liberal	Ross Thatcher	8,862	40.13%
	Progressive Conservative	W.J. Ferguson	1,931	8.74%
	Social Credit	Anthony Batza	903	4.09%
Total			22,085	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament — Assiniboia[12]

E Elected
X Incumbent

1958 General election: Assiniboia

Federal Election, 1958

: Assiniboia

Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Co-operative Commonwealth Federation	E X Hazen Robert Argue	9,104	42.08%
	Progressive Conservative	W.J. Ferguson	6,360	29.39%
	Liberal	Ross Thatcher	6,173	28.53%
Total			21,637	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament — Assiniboia[12]

E Elected
X Incumbent

Saskatchewan Liberal leadership

Thatcher won the

, and Alex Cameron.

References