William Aberhart
William Aberhart | |
---|---|
7th Premier of Alberta | |
In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943 | |
Monarchs | George V Edward VIII George VI |
Lieutenant Governor | William L. Walsh Philip Primrose John C. Bowen |
Preceded by | Richard Gavin Reid |
Succeeded by | Ernest Manning |
Alberta Minister of Education | |
In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943 | |
Preceded by | Perren Baker |
Succeeded by | Solon Earl Low |
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
In office March 21, 1940 – May 23, 1943 | |
Constituency | Calgary |
In office November 4, 1935 – March 21, 1940 | |
Preceded by | William Morrison |
Succeeded by | John Broomfield |
Constituency | Okotoks-High River |
Personal details | |
Born | Social Credit | December 30, 1878
Spouse | Jessie Flatt |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Occupation | Educator, evangelist |
Signature | |
William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as "Bible Bill" for his radio sermons about the Bible, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943.[1] He was the founder and first leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party, which believed the Great Depression was caused by ordinary people not having enough to spend. Therefore, Aberhart argued that the government should give each Albertan $25 per month to spend to stimulate the economy, by providing needed purchasing power to allow needy customers to buy from waiting businesses.
During his premiership, Aberhart campaigned for and instituted several anti-poverty and debt relief programs, and other governmental reforms, such as consolidation of Alberta's numerous small school districts into centralized school divisions, and natural resources conservation. His attempts at banking reform met with less success, facing strong opposition from the federal government, the courts, privately owned newspapers and a coalition of the Liberal and Conservative parties. Aberhart's government did successfully establish the Alberta Treasury Branches (now ATB Financial), a government-owned financial institution to provide an alternative to existing banks, which continues to operate as a Crown corporation of the Alberta government.
Early life
Childhood, education, and family
William Aberhart was born December 30, 1878, in Kippen, Ontario (now part of
In 1896, Aberhart attended three months of model school in
On July 29, 1902, Aberhart married Jessie Flatt, whom he had met in 1901 at a football game.[4]: 14–15 A daughter, Khona Louise Aberhart, was born in the winter of 1903, and a second, Ola Janet Aberhart, followed in August 1905.[4]: 15
On July 20, 1910, William Aberhart Sr. died in an accident at a pharmacy owned by his son (William Jr.'s brother) Charles.
In 1911, he earned a
Teaching career
In the fall of 1901 Aberhart was hired as a teacher at the Central Public School in
His school's principal died in 1905, and Aberhart was selected to replace him; his salary increased to $1,000 per year.[4]: 15 This figure had reached $1,200 by 1910 when, in response to glowing reviews from his colleagues, the Calgary Board of Education offered him a principalship at $1,400 per year. In response to a petition from his staff and students that this offer be matched by Brantford, Aberhart was offered a raise to $1,300; he declined it, and moved to Calgary that spring.[4]: 20 His family followed later, after he purchased a two-storey wooden house and Khona finished her academic year in Brantford.[4]: 23–24 1910 Calgary was a frontier town that smelled of horse manure and in which public drunkenness was common; though Aberhart's sensibilities were less shocked by this than his wife's were, he also had to make some adjustments: in Brantford he had always attended church in a silk top hat and frock coat, but he quickly abandoned this custom after discovering that he was the only one in Calgary to do so.[4]: 23
Aberhart was to become principal of Mount Royal School, but it was not yet complete at the time of his arrival, so he became the principal of Alexandra Public School immediately on his arrival.[4]: 23 Mount Royal was still not completed by the fall, so he took over the principalship of Victoria School,[4]: 24 which he held until becoming principal of the new Crescent Heights High School in 1915.[7][4]: 44 [Note 1]
Elliott and Miller write that Aberhart took a less rigid approach to discipline at Crescent Heights than he had in Ontario,[4]: 44 though Schultz says that as principal he was "authoritarian in manner and a strict disciplinarian".[5]: 187 His love of organization persisted,[7][4]: 44 and his penchant for it enhanced his reputation as "an able administrator".[5]: 187 Crescent Height's students scored very well on departmental examinations, though some members of the school board believed that he achieved this at least partly by culling weaker students with a preliminary qualifying examination.[4]: 46
One way Aberhart applied his organizational prowess was in creating one of Calgary's first and largest parent–teacher associations, which had an average of two hundred parents attend each meeting; Aberhart had a generally good relationship with parents.[4]: 45 His standing with his staff was more mixed: he had a habit of "talking down" to them, dominated the school to the point that teachers were left with little initiative, and, as Elliott and Miller put it, "never entered the staff room except to issue an order".[5]: 187 [4]: 46 Many of his teachers, while respecting his abilities as an administrator, thought very little of him as a man, and some believed that his domineering approach stemmed from a fear of people smarter than him.[4]: 47 In 1919, eight Crescent Heights teachers wrote the school board requesting an investigation into Aberhart's work; the resulting inspection led to the transfer of three male teachers—with whom Aberhart had a particularly poor rapport—to other schools, and stated that persisting problems would lead to a request for Aberhart's resignation.[4]: 46 A follow-up investigation two years later found a substantial improvement in conditions and reported favourably on Aberhart's abilities.[4]: 47 Despite this uneven relationship, Aberhart was not all together closed-minded, and would entertain—and sometimes even be convinced by—arguments from his staff.[4]: 44 [11]
Besides his administrative duties, Aberhart taught English and math.[4]: 44 [5]: 187 True to form, in doing so he emphasized rote memorization at the expense of independent reasoning, to the point that one of his teachers once likened him to a dog trainer.[7][4]: 44 He cared for his students and provided extensive extra tutoring, especially for students in whom he saw a genuine interest in learning the material.[5]: 187 [4]: 44–45 Outside of the classroom, he applied his talents to organizing picnics and games,[5]: 187 and in 1922 organized an elected student council years before the concept became widespread in Calgary.[11] When some students wanted the school to purchase a movie projector not provided for in the school's budget, Aberhart organized a company into which students could buy for ten cents per share; the company put on movies for which it charged admission, and at the end of its first year of operation it declared a dividend of 25 cents per share. He urged his students to adopt four axioms he followed in his own life: "be enthusiastic, be ambitious, develop a distinctive personality, [and] have a hobby and ride it hard."[5]: 187
In the assessment of John Barr, a Social Credit staffer years after Aberhart's death who later wrote one of the first histories of the party's years in power, "Aberhart generally had the respect and admiration of a broad following of parents, teachers, and students."[11] Schultz states that the only area in which all 61 people he interviewed in researching Aberhart's career agreed was that he was an excellent high school teacher.[5]: 187
Ministry
Early religious views and adoption of Dispensationalism
Though his parents were not churchgoers, as a child Aberhart attended
While in Brantford, Aberhart studied at Zion Presbyterian church,
Aberhart had aspired to take ministerial training at the Presbyterian Knox College Divinity School, but the church in Brantford was reluctant to take on the support of both him and his family in the four-year training period. He became fascinated with prophetical teaching in the Bible and studied a correspondence course by Cyrus Scofield. He had been introduced to this system while attending a men's Bible Class at Zion Presbyterian, taught by William Nichol, an elderly physician.[12]
In 1910, Aberhart accepted a position as principal of Alexandra School in Calgary, Alberta. His initial Bible Study Teaching in Calgary commenced at the Grace Presbyterian Church at the Young Men's Bible Class. Within a few weeks attendance was over 100 and he attracted the attendance of the senior minister Dr. Esler, but his views on prophecy did not jibe with senior minister's reformed beliefs and his teaching privileges were cancelled. He then moved on to teach successively at the Wesley and Trinity Methodist Churches.[13]
In 1915, he became an unpaid pastor of Westbourne Baptist Church in Calgary.
Early political involvement
Aberhart became interested in politics during the
It is doubtful that Aberhart fully understood the theories himself.
Premier of Alberta (1935–1943)
Electoral record
The Social Credit Party won the 1935 provincial election by a landslide with over 54% of the popular vote and all but seven of the 63 seats in the legislature.[21]
Not even the
He was sworn in as premier on September 3 (11 days after his August 22 victory). However, he was not yet a member of the legislature. The Social Credit MLA for Okotoks-High River, William Morrison, resigned to give Aberhart a chance to get a seat, per standard practice in the Westminster system when a leader or cabinet minister does not have a seat.[citation needed]
Aberhart won the November 4 by-election, held prior to the first sitting of the new legislature after the general election. Aberhart was elected by acclamation.[citation needed]
Aberhart served as premier and as his own
Policy
Aberhart's government did not implement much of the Social Credit policies promised in the party's election platform, because of the province's very poor financial position in the depths of the Depression. The federal government's opposition to Social Credit was a significant block to Aberhart's policy goals. The federal government has jurisdiction over Canadian currency and banks, under the
Aberhart instituted a variety of relief programs to help people out of poverty, as well as public works programs and a debt relief program that froze some debt collections and mortgage foreclosures. This, like Tommy Douglas' similar program in Saskatchewan, was later overturned in the mid-1940s by the Supreme Court, although it aided people for a number of years during and (for a short time) after the Great Depression.
Alberta's Social Credit government brought in legislation under which an MLA could be recalled by a portion of their constituents. Aberhart's own constituents, including out-of-power UFA farmers and many oilworkers working for U.S. oil companies threatened by Aberhart's Natural Resources Conservation legislation, gathered signatures for Aberhart's own recall. He thus became the first Canadian politician to be threatened with recall from office. Aberhart's government retroactively repealed the recall legislation rather than have Aberhart forced to give up his seat.[22]
In keeping with his evangelical views, Aberhart added a heavy dose of social conservatism to Major Douglas's ideas. Most notably, he enacted very tight restrictions on the sale of alcohol. Indeed, the only stricter law in Canada at the time was in Prince Edward Island, where the sale of alcohol remained completely banned until 1948. Well into the 1960s, commercial airlines could not serve alcohol while flying over Alberta.
Although Aberhart was unable to gain control of Alberta's banks, his government gained a foothold in the province's financial industry by creating the
Conflict with Lieutenant Governor
By late 1937, relations with the lieutenant governor became so strained that Bowen even threatened to dismiss Aberhart's government, which would have been an extraordinary use of his
Death and legacy
Aberhart died unexpectedly on May 23, 1943, during a visit to his adult daughters in
The Aberhart Centre, a long-term medical care centre at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, is named in his honour, as is William Aberhart High School in Calgary.
In 1974, he was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada. A plaque commemorating this sits inside Crescent Heights High School at 1019 1st NW, Calgary, Alberta.[24]
Ideology
Elliott (1978) argues that the Aberhart's Social Credit ideology was clearly antithetical to his previous theology, which was highly sectarian, separatist, apolitical, other-worldly, and eschatologically oriented. Elliott challenges the arguments of Mann (1955) and Irving (1959) that there was a definite connection between Aberhart's theology and political program. Elliott reports that Aberhart's political support did not come from the sectarian groups as Mann and Irving suggest, but rather it came from the members of established churches and those with marginal religious commitment.[25]
Publications and articles about Aberhart
Historian Harold J. Schultz's 1964 "Portrait of a Premier: William Aberhart" was published in the Canadian Historical Review.[5] A 1977 book edited by Lewis Herbert Thomas, traced Aberhart's role in the development of Alberta's Social Credit movement.[26]
In his 1978 article published in the Canadian Historical Review, David R. Elliot examined Aberhart's theological and political beliefs.[25]
Elliot and Iris Miller published Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart in 1987.[4] A 2004 edited book —Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century, devoted a chapter to Aberhart.[27]
A June 2020 in-depth article in Alberta Views magazine, compared Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to Aberhart.[28]
Bruce Allen Powe in 1983 published a novel entitled The Aberhart Summer based on the events of 1935 when Aberhart swept into power. The novel was adapted as a stage play in 1999 by Conni Massing.
Electoral record
November 4, 1935, provincial by-election Okotoks—High River
1935 by-election results (Okotoks-High River)[29] | ||||
Affiliation | Candidate | Votes N.A. | % | |
Social Credit | William Aberhart | Acclaimed |
1940 Alberta general election results (Calgary)[30] | First count vote totals* | |||
Independent
|
Andrew Davison[Note 2] | 12,465 | 27.1% | |
Social Credit | William Aberhart[Note 2] | 12,122 | 26.4% | |
Independent
|
James Mahaffey[Note 2] | 3,645 | 7.9% | |
Independent
|
John J. Bowlen[Note 2] | 3,447 | 7.5% | |
CCF | Frederick J. White | 2,846 | 6.2% | |
Independent
|
Joseph Tweed Shaw | 2,685 | 5.8% | |
Social Credit | Frederic Anderson[Note 2] | 1,939 | 4.2% | |
Social Credit | Edith Gostick | 1,605 | 3.5% | |
Independent
|
Norman D. Dingle | 1,480 | 3.2% | |
Social Credit | Mrs. Howitt D. Tarves | 1,386 | 3.0% | |
CCF | Robert T. Alderman | 1,298 | 2.8% | |
Independent
|
Harry Pryde | 576 | 1.3% | |
Independent
|
Douglas V. Mitchell | 251 | 0.5% | |
Independent
|
James M. Moodie | 169 | 0.4% |
* The first count vote totals were altered through STV vote transfers, to produce the five successful candidates, one of which was not in a leading position in the first count.
See also
- History of Alberta
- 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt
- Henry Hildebrand
- Sinclair Alexander Whittaker
- Briercrest College and Seminary
Notes
- ^ Schultz reports this date as 1927, saying that Aberhart was principal of "Balmoral Heights" from 1915 until then.[5]: 187 This confusion may be because when Crescent Heights opened in 1915, it occupied part of Balmoral School, an elementary school. Crescent Heights received its own building in 1929.[10]
- ^ a b c d e Calgary was a multi-member constituency that elected five MLAs using the single transferable vote electoral method. These candidates were elected.
References
- Canadian Encyclopedia (online ed.). Historica Canada. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
- ISBN 0-9689217-2-8., p. 409
- ^ Perry & Craig 2006, p. 410.
- ^ ISBN 0-919091-44-X.
- ^ S2CID 162639596., p. 185
- ISBN 0-7710-1015-X., p. 37
- ^ a b c d Barr 1974, p. 37.
- ^ "William Aberhart Family History". Alberta Family Histories Society. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
- ^ James H. Marsh, The Canadian Encyclopedia, McClelland & Stewart, Canada, 1999, p. 2
- ^ "Balmoral School, 16th Avenue N.W., taken in snowstorm". Community Heritage and Family History Digital Library. Calgary Public Library. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
- ^ a b c Barr 1974, p. 38.
- ^ Johnson, L. P. V.; McNutt, Ola (1970). Aberhart of Alberta. Institute of Applied Art. pp. 26–27.
- ^ Johnson & McNutt 1970, pp. 50–51.
- ^ John Gordon Stackhouse, Canadian Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century: An Introduction to Its Character, Regent College Publishing, Canada, 1998, p. 37
- ^ William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2021, p. 9
- ^ John Gordon Stackhouse, Canadian Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century: An Introduction to Its Character, Regent College Publishing, Canada, 1998, p. 41
- ^ Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 1
- ^ John Gordon Stackhouse, Canadian Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century: An Introduction to Its Character, Regent College Publishing, Canada, 1998, p. 41
- ISBN 978-0-8897-7151-2. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ Douglas, C.H. (June 1, 1935). Possible Social Credit in Alberta. First interim report on the possibilities of the application of social credit principles to the Province of Alberta (Report). Retrieved September 28, 2015.[dead link]
- ISBN 0-550-18022-2.
- ^ Rowat, Don (1998). "Our Referendums are not Direct Democracy" (PDF). Canadian Parliamentary Review. 21 (3): 25–27.
- ^ "Aberhart Rites on Wednesday". Calgary Herald. May 25, 1943. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ Aberhart, William National Historic Person. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada.
- ^ S2CID 145374314.
- ISBN 978-0-7730-3128-9.
- ISBN 0-88977-151-0.
- ^ "Uncanny Resemblance". Alberta Views - The Magazine for Engaged Citizens. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Mardon, Ernest; Mardon, Austin (1993). Alberta Election Results 1882–1992. Edmonton, A;berta: Documentary Heritage Society of Alberta., p. 99
- ^ Mardon & Mardon 1993, p. 33.
Further reading/other sources
- Bell, Edward (1993). Social Classes & Social Credit in Alberta. Montreal and Kingston: ISBN 0-7735-1168-7.
- Bell, Edward (2004). "Ernest Manning, 1943-1968". In Rennie, Bradford J. (ed.). Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. pp. 148–178. ISBN 0-88977-151-0.
- Brennan, Brian (2008). The Good Steward: The Ernest C. Manning Story. Calgary, Alberta: Fifth House Ltd. ISBN 978-1-897252-16-1.
- ISBN 1-55059-024-3.
- Calderola, Carlo (1979). Calderola, C. (ed.). The Social Credit in Alberta, 1935-1971. Methuen. pp. 33–48. )
- Clark, S. D. (November 1945). "The Religious Sect in Canadian Politics". The American Journal of Sociology. 51 (3). University of Chicago Press: 207–216. S2CID 145557571.
- Cook, Ramsay, ed. (1967). Politics of Discontent: Essays by H. J. Schultz, M. A. Ormsby, J. R. H. Wilbur, B. J. Young. University of Toronto Press.
- Elliott, David R. (2004). "William Aberhart, 1935-1943". In Rennie, Bradford J. (ed.). Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. pp. 126–145. ISBN 0-88977-151-0.
- Finkel, Alvin (1989). The Social Credit Phenomenon in Alberta. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6731-X.
- Flanagan, Thomas (1972). "Social Credit in Alberta: A Canadian 'Cargo Cult'?". Archives de Sociologie des Religions. 34 (34). Paris, France: École des hautes études en sciences sociales: 39–48. JSTOR 30115621.
- Flanagan, Thomas; Lee, Martha F. (Fall 1991). "From Social Credit to Social Conservatism: The Evolution of an Ideology". Prairie Forum. 16 (2). Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center: 205–223. hdl:10294/256.
- Foster, Franklin L. (1981). John E. Brownlee: A Biography. Lloydminster, Alberta: Foster Learning Inc. ISBN 978-1-55220-004-9.
- Irving, John A. (1959). The Social Credit Movement in Alberta. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802060846.
- Mackey, Lloyd (1997). Like father, like son: Ernest Manning & Preston Manning. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-299-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4426-1575-5.
- Mallory, J. R. (1976) [1954]. Social Credit and the Federal Power in Canada (reprint ed.). Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6301-2.
- ISBN 1-894908-01-5.
- Thomas, Lewis Herbert, ed. (1977). William Aberhart and Social Credit in Alberta. Toronto, Ontario: Copp Clark. ISBN 978-0-7730-3128-9.
- Wardhaugh, Robert Alexander (2000). MacKenzie King and the Prairie West. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-4733-5.
Primary sources
- Aberhart, William (October 2005). "Aberhart On Social Credit: A Radio Broadcast". Alberta History (transcript of a 1935 radio broadcast). 53 (4). Historical Society of Alberta: 24–30.
- Aberhart, William (1991). Elliott, David R. (ed.). Aberhart: Outpourings and Replies. Historical Society of Alberta. pp. 1–41. ISBN 9781895379082.
- Manning, Ernest C. (1967). Political Realignment: A Challenge to Thoughtful Canadians. Toronto, Ontario: McClelland and Stewart.