The Reverend J. S. Woodsworth |
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1st Leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | |
In office August 1, 1932 – March 21, 1942 |
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Preceded by | new party |
Succeeded by | Major James Coldwell |
1st National Chairman of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | |
In office 1932–1938 |
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Preceded by | new party |
Succeeded by | Major James Coldwell |
Member of the House of Commons of Canada | |
In office October 29, 1925 – March 21, 1942 |
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Preceded by | new constituency |
Succeeded by | Stanley Knowles |
Constituency | Winnipeg North Centre |
In office December 6, 1921 – October 29, 1925 |
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Preceded by | George William Andrews |
Succeeded by | constituency abolished |
Constituency | Winnipeg Centre |
Personal details | |
Born |
James Shaver Woodsworth July 29, 1874 Etobicoke, Ontario |
Died | March 21, 1942 Vancouver, British Columbia |
(aged 67)
Political party |
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Spouse(s) | Lucy Staples (m. 1903) |
Children | Grace MacInnis |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Author, lecturer, minister, secretary, social activist, teacher |
Religion | Methodism |
James Shaver Woodsworth (July 29, 1874 – March 21, 1942) was a pioneer in the Canadian social democratic movement. Following more than two decades ministering to the poor and the working class, J. S. Woodsworth left the church to lay the foundation for, and become the first leader of, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), a democratic socialist party that later became the New Democratic Party (NDP).
The oldest of six children, James Shaver Woodsworth was born in Etobicoke Applewood Farm, near Toronto, Ontario, to Esther Josephine Shaver and James Woodsworth. His father was a Methodist minister, and his strong faith was a powerful factor in shaping his later life. His grandfather, Harold Richard Woodsworth, had opposed William Lyon Mackenzie in the 1837 Rebellions.
The Woodsworth family moved to Brandon, Manitoba, in 1882, where his father became a Superintendent of Methodist Missions in western Canada. Following in his father's footsteps, J. S. Woodsworth was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1896 and spent two years as a circuit preacher in Manitoba before going to study at Victoria College in the University of Toronto and at Oxford University in England. While studying at Oxford University in 1899, he became interested in social welfare work. During his stay, the Second Boer War broke out, and Woodsworth was immersed in discussions about the moral values of imperialism. In 1902, following his return to Canada, he took a position as minister at Grace Church in Winnipeg, and in 1903, married Lucy Staples.