Harry Strom
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The Honourable Harry Strom |
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| 9th Premier of Alberta | |
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In office December 12, 1968 – September 10, 1971 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Grant MacEwan |
| Preceded by | Ernest Manning |
| Succeeded by | Peter Lougheed |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
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In office June 29, 1955 – March 25, 1975 |
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| Preceded by | James Underdahl |
| Succeeded by | Alan Hyland |
| Constituency | Cypress |
| Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs | |
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In office July 16, 1968 – December 12, 1968 |
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| Preceded by | Edgar Gerhart |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Gerhart |
| Alberta Minister of Agriculture | |
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In office October 15, 1962 – July 16, 1968 |
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| Preceded by | Leonard Halmrast |
| Succeeded by | Henry Ruste |
| Leader of the Alberta Official Opposition | |
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In office December 10, 1971 – 1972 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Lougheed |
| Succeeded by | James Henderson (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Harry Edwin Strom July 7, 1914 Burdett, Alberta |
| Died |
October 2, 1984 (aged 70) Edmonton, Alberta |
| Resting place | Medicine Hat, Alberta |
| Political party | Social Credit |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Johnson |
| Children | 6 |
| Profession | Farmer |
| Religion | Evangelical Free Church |
| Signature |  |
Harry Edwin Strom (July 7, 1914 – October 2, 1984) was the ninth Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1968 to 1971. His two-and-a-half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six-year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its replacement by a new era Progressive Conservative government. He is remembered as an honest, decent man who lacked the political skills of his predecessor, Ernest Manning, or of Lougheed.
Alberta's first native-born Premier, Strom was born in Burdett, Alberta. He worked most of his young adult life on the family farm, and was also actively involved in his church. After a stint in municipal politics, he ran for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1955 provincial election, and was elected. In 1962, Manning appointed him to his cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, a position he held until 1967 when he was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs. When Manning decided to resign in 1968, Strom became a candidate to succeed him, and finished on top of a six candidate field.
As Premier, Strom undertook a number of initiatives, especially in education and youth-related fields, but was politically ineffective. He lacked both charisma and an overriding sense of purpose, and his government gradually lost popularity. In the 1971 election, his government was handily defeated by Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives. Strom served as opposition leader for two years, but soon relinquished the position and did not seek re-election in 1975. After leaving politics, Strom returned to farming. He died in 1984.
Strom was born in Burdett, Alberta, on July 7, 1914. His parents, Nils Hjalmar Strom (1877–1928) and Elna Maria Olivia Ekensteen (1883–1969), were second generation Swedish Canadians. He attended school in Burdett before moving to Calgary to attend high school at East Calgary High School and Calgary Technical High School, where he studied mechanics. In 1931, he received a certificate from the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art. His father died the same year, and Strom returned home to help his mother with the operation of the family farm.
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