William Finlay
William Thomas Finlay | |
|---|---|
Medicine Hat | |
| In office 1900–1903 | |
| Preceded by | William Bradley Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Archibald Courtice Hawthorne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 12, 1853 Lisburn, Ireland |
| Died | May 9, 1914 (aged 60) Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Catherine Anne Allott |
| Children | Two sons, three daughters |
| Residence(s) | Medicine Hat, Alberta |
| Occupation | Merchant, rancher |
William Thomas Finlay (July 12, 1853 – May 9, 1914) was a merchant, politician and cabinet minister in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. Finlay served as the second mayor of Medicine Hat, represented the electoral district of Medicine Hat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and served in the Cabinet of Alexander Cameron Rutherford as Alberta's first Minister of Agriculture and Provincial Secretary from 1905 to 1909.
Early life
Finlay was born in
Finlay was active in the Medicine Hat community, serving on the hospital board from 1896 to 1904, as a justice of the peace from 1886 to 1896, as president of the local board of trade in 1888, and as director of the agricultural society in 1889.[2]
Finlay married Catherine Anne Allott in Winnipeg on February 10, 1883.[2][3]
Political life
William first ran for the
Finlay was elected the second mayor of Medicine Hat in 1900 and was acclaimed to the position the following year.[2][1] As mayor, Finlay oversaw the construction of a water system, a municipal building, and natural gas extraction.[2]
With his experience as mayor of Medicine Hat, Finlay ran again in the
Alberta politics
In February 1905, the federal government of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier introduced legislation to create two new provinces (Alberta and Saskatchewan) from the Northwest Territories.[6] In August 1905, Laurier appointed George H. V. Bulyea the first Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and on September 2, Bulyea asked Alexander Cameron Rutherford to form the first government of Alberta.[7] On September 9 Finlay was appointed to Rutherford's Cabinet as Alberta's first Minister of Agriculture and Provincial Secretary.[8][9] Finlay's inclusion in cabinet came after strong pressure on Rutherford from liberals in Medicine Hat to acknowledge the regions importance, as well as Finlay's virtues.[5] Finlay was the only member of the Rutherford cabinet born outside of Canada.[5]
In Alberta's first general election, Finlay was elected as a member of the Alberta Liberal Party for Medicine Hat defeating conservative candidate Francis O. Sissions by a narrow margin of 51.7 per cent to 48.3 per cent.[10][2]
Under Finlay, the department of Agriculture undertook educational initiatives including experimental agricultural stations, travelling dairy and grain schools, and support for farmers institutes and agricultural fairs.[2] Alberta also saw government creameries built, as well as government financing for factories for cheese, pork, and poultry.[2] As a representative for Medicine Hat, Finlay brought forward several projects in the region. In March 1909, just before the upcoming election, Finlay announced the construction of the $40,000 Medicine Hat Courthouse, a bridge, and a demonstration farm in the region.[11]
Finlay was re-elected in the
Death
Finlay moved to Vancouver, British Columbia after his retirement. He died in 1914.[2]
Electoral record
| 1909 Alberta general election results (Medicine Hat)[12] | Turnout N.A. | |||
| Liberal | William Thomas Finlay | 1,249 | 71.66% | |
Conservative
|
F. O. Sissions | 494 | 28.34% | |
| 1905 Alberta general election results (Medicine Hat)[10] | Turnout N.A. | |||
| Liberal | William Thomas Finlay | 575 | 51.71% | |
Conservative
|
F. D. Sissons | 537 | 48.29% | |
Medicine Hat)[4]
|
Turnout N.A. | |||
| William Thomas Finlay | 486 | 70.33% | ||
| J. A. Grant | 205 | 29.67% | ||
Medicine Hat)[4]
|
Turnout N.A. | |||
| Horace Albertie Greeley | 327 | 36.50% | ||
| William Thomas Finlay | 285 | 31.81% | ||
| John George Calder | 284 | 31.70% | ||
References
- ^ OCLC 266967058. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Wilson, L. J. Roy (1998). "Finlay, William Thomas". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ "Pioneer profiles William T. Finlay". Pioneers Alberta. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan (2009). "North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876–1905" (PDF). Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Thomas 1959, p. 22.
- ^ Babcock 1989, p. 22.
- ^ Thomas 1959, p. 19.
- ^ Babcock 1989, p. 27.
- ^ "Alberta Gazette October 1905". Alberta government. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
- ^ a b "Election results for Macleod, 1905". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ Mittelstadt 2005, p. 216.
- ^ a b "Election results for Claresholm, 1909". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ Babcock 1989, p. 57.
Works cited
- Babcock, D. R. (1989). A Gentleman of Strathcona: Alexander Cameron Rutherford. ISBN 0-919813-57-7.
- Mittelstadt, David (2005). Foundations of Justice: Alberta's Historic Courthouses. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary Press. ISBN 978-1-55238-345-2.
- Thomas, Lewis Gwynne (1959). The Liberal Party in Alberta. ISBN 978-0802050830.
External links
- Wilson, L. J. Roy (1998). "Finlay, William Thomas". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- William T. Finlay – Legislative Assembly of Alberta Member Profile