Herbert Greenfield

Herbert Greenfield

Herbert Greenfield (born November 25, 1869 in Winchester , England , † August 23, 1949 in Calgary ) was a Canadian politician and farmer . From August 13, 1921 to November 23, 1925, he was Prime Minister of the Province of Alberta and leader of the political wing of the United Farmers of Alberta farmers' cooperative .

biography

Born in the English county of Hampshire , Greenfield emigrated to Canada with his family in 1892. In the province of Ontario he worked as a laborer on various farms. In 1906 he moved on to Alberta and built his own company at Westlock . He became involved in local politics and eventually became president of the Alberta Borough Association.

When the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) surprisingly won the provincial elections in July 1921 and were able to form the government, they had no real leadership. None of the newly elected MPs seemed willing to take on the post of prime minister. Finally, Greenfield, then interim Vice President of the UFA, agreed to do so and was appointed the new head of government by Vice Governor Robert G. Brett on August 13, 1921 . The Prime Minister did not run in the elections; the Peace River constituency MP resigned in his favor and Greenfield was acclaimed to the Alberta Legislative Assembly on December 9th .

Greenfields government expanded the road network and improved schools and hospitals. In 1924 she lifted the alcohol prohibition that had been introduced nine years earlier and founded the Alberta Liquor Control Board , which was supposed to regulate the sale of alcohol. However, the UFA failed to keep one of its election promises: a state bank that was supposed to grant farmers loans at low interest rates. From 1923 Greenfield was often absent for health reasons and was unable to carry out his duties. Although he was respected by the population, the UFA members considered him to be ineffective because of his absences. On November 23, 1925, he resigned as Prime Minister in favor of John Edward Brownlee and also resigned from parliament in 1926.

From 1927 to 1931 he was the official representative of the province in London as general agent . Upon his return from London, Greenfield settled in Calgary , presiding over several oil production companies and presiding over the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

Web links

• Herbert Greenfield ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
• Biography on the Alberta Legislative Assembly website