William Clubb

William Reid (Billy) Clubb (October 7, 1884—August 11, 1962) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 to 1941, and was a prominent cabinet minister in the government of John Bracken.

Clubb was born in Morris, Manitoba, the son of George Clubb and Alice Jix, and was educated at Manitoba public schools, the Winnipeg Business College and Manitoba Agricultural College. He worked as a farmer, and served on the Morris municipal council from 1916 to 1920. In 1913, he married Gertrude Barbara Kastner.

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1920. Clubb ran as an independent farmer candidate in the constituency of Morris, and defeated rival candidate Alex Ayotte by 165 votes. For the next two years, he sat with a small farmer's caucus led by William Robson.

In 1921, Clubb served with John Bracken on a special committee to review the prices of oil and gas for Manitoba's agricultural community. He was impressed with Bracken's knowledge of the province, and with his presence of mind in the discussions.

He later joined the United Farmers of Manitoba, and defeated Ayotte by a greater margin in the 1922 election. The United Farmers and their allies won an unexpected majority government in the 1922 election, and took office as the Progressive Party of Manitoba. As the UFM did not have a leader, the party caucus met on July 20, 1922 to choose a premier. Clubb recommended Bracken for the position, and his name was allowed to stand. At the end of the meeting, the only others candidates still under consideration were federal Members of Parliament Thomas Crerar and Bob Hoey.

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