George P. Smith

George Peter Smith (August 12, 1873 – November 29, 1942) was a politician and former Minister of the Crown from Alberta, Canada.

Smith first ran for election to the Alberta Legislature in the 1909 Alberta general election winning the new Camrose district with a comfortable plurality.

Smith was re-elected in a landslide to a second term in office during the 1913 Alberta general election significantly increasing his plurality from last time.

He would be re-elected to his third and final term in the Alberta Legislature in the 1917 Alberta general election. This time with a slightly reduced majority of votes.

On August 26, 1918, he would be appointed to the Minister of Education portfolio. Smith held the post until he was defeated in the 1921 Alberta general election by Vernor W. Smith from the United Farmers of Alberta, the two Smiths were not related.

The United Farmers government in prosecuted Smith in 1926. The issue arose from a question Robert Marshall had asked in the legislature in regards to $5,820.00 that had been plundered from the Alberta Treasury in September 1921 by Smith. The government claimed it had no political motive in prosecuting Smith. The United Farmers government had Smith charged with fraud as they believed that the money which was taken from the treasury to pay Esdale Press Ltd. for services rendered.

Smith would attempt to run for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the 1935 Canadian federal election. He would be badly defeated by Social Credit candidate James Alexander Marshall.

...
Wikipedia