William Aberhart
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The Honourable William Aberhart |
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|---|---|
William Aberhart in 1937.
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| 7th Premier of Alberta | |
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In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943 |
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| Monarch |
George V Edward VIII George VI |
| Lieutenant Governor |
William L. Walsh Philip Primrose John C. Bowen |
| Preceded by | Richard Gavin Reid |
| Succeeded by | Ernest Manning |
| Alberta Minister of Education | |
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In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943 |
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| Preceded by | Perren Baker |
| Succeeded by | Solon Earl Low |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
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In office March 21, 1940 – May 23, 1943 |
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| Constituency | Calgary |
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In office November 4, 1935 – March 21, 1940 |
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| Preceded by | William Morrison |
| Succeeded by | John Broomfield |
| Constituency | Okotoks-High River |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 30, 1878 Kippen, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | May 23, 1943 (aged 64) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
| Political party | Social Credit |
| Spouse(s) | Jessie Flatt |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation | Educator, evangelist |
| Religion | Christian |
| Signature |  |
William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as Bible Bill for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh Premier of Alberta (1935 to his death in 1943). He was the founder and first leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party, which believed the Great Depression was caused by ordinary people not having enough to spend. Therefore, Aberhart argued that the government should give each Albertan $25 per month to spend to stimulate the economy, by providing needed purchasing power to allow needy customers to buy from waiting businesses.
During his premiership, Aberhart campaigned for and instituted several anti-poverty and debt relief programs, and other governmental reforms, such as consolidation of Alberta's numerous small school districts into centralized school divisions, and natural resources conservation. His attempts at banking reform met with less success, balked by opposition from the federal government, the courts, privately-owned newspapers and a coalition of the Liberal and Conservative parties. However, he did proceed to establish a government-owned banking chain, the Alberta Treasury Branches, which exist to this day, the only government banking system serving the public in North America.
William Aberhart was born December 30, 1878, in Tuckersmith Township (now part of Huron East, Ontario) to William (c. 1844–1910) and Louisa (c. 1850–1944) (née Pepper) Aberhart. William Aberhart Sr. had immigrated to Canada from Germany with his family at the age of seven, while Louisa Pepper was born in Perth County, Ontario. Historian Harold Schultz describes the Aberharts as "prosperous," while biographers David Elliott and Iris Miller says they "lived better than the average family." The fourth of eight children, William Aberhart Jr. delivered milk to his father's customers before school each day. At school, he was a hard-working but average student. Mathematics was one of his strengths, though his approach involved more rote learning than reasoning. Elliott and Miller suggest that this tendency stayed with him his entire life, and that he "never really acquired an appreciation for inductive intellectual analysis." Aberhart was not a social child. Though he excelled at soccer, he generally preferred solitary pursuits such as reading or teaching himself to play musical instruments.
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