Rice Sheppard
| Rice Sheppard | |
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| Alderman on the Edmonton City Council | |
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In office December 8, 1913 – December 13, 1915 |
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In office December 8, 1919 – December 12, 1921 |
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In office December 11, 1922 – December 8, 1924 |
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In office December 10, 1928 – November 14, 1934 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1861 Lambourne, Berks, England |
| Died | August 26, 1947 (aged 86) Edmonton, Alberta |
| Political party | Labour, Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
Conservative Party of Alberta Social Credit United Farmers of Alberta Civic Progressive Association |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Mary Major (died 1929), Henrietta Rattan |
| Profession | Farmer |
Rice Sheppard (April 2, 1861 – August 26, 1947) was a politician and farmers' activist in Alberta, Canada. He served on Edmonton City Council for many years, ran for mayoral, provincial, and federal office, and was an executive member of the United Farmers of Alberta.
Sheppard was born April 2, 1861 in Lambourn, Berkshire, England and was educated at the Wesleyan School. His father was James Sheppard, who was married to Louisa (née Barrett) Sheppard and in total they had 13 children. Family stories say that the Sheppard family was thrown out of Lambourn by the Squire for not being Church of England, although this would have been unlikely as there were many non-conformists in the town by this time, and there was no effective 'squire' anymore. James and Louisa moved to Essex, England. Rice took his first job when he was ten years old, working at a store. At the age of twenty-one, he opened a bakery in Clapham; this business expanded to four shops by the time that he sold it in 1897. In 1883, he married Elizabeth Mary Major (she died in 1929, after which Sheppard married Henriette Rattan). He emigrated to Canada in 1897, and took up farming near South Edmonton (Strathcona, Alberta). They ultimately had 14 children, some in Britain and more in Alberta.
Sheppard's first bid for elected office took place in the 1909 provincial election, when he sought election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as a Conservative candidate in Strathcona. He was soundly defeated in the two person race by the incumbent, Liberal Premier Alexander Rutherford. Around the same time, Sheppard was active with the Temperance and Moral Reform League of Alberta, which advocated for prohibition in Alberta. Their efforts would be successful in 1916.
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