John James Bowling

John James Bowling

John James Bowlen (born July 21, 1876 in Cardigan , Prince Edward Island , † December 16, 1959 in Edmonton , Alberta ) was a Canadian politician and farmer. From 1950 to 1959 he was Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Alberta.

biography

Agriculture

Bowlen was born into a Roman Catholic household to Michael Bowlen and Mary Casey. He attended Cardigan School in his youth . In 1900 he married Caroline Suive, with whom he had three children.

After bowling much was traveling in his early years in the profession, to find work - he was also in Boston and Manitoba - he acquired in 1906 near Muenster in the province of Saskatchewan a farm. Four years later he bought another farm near Rosebud in the province of Alberta , which he sold again in 1917. Instead, Bowlen bought a 40 km² ranch on the border with the United States .

He lived there in relative seclusion, about 65 km from the nearest village and the nearest telegraph station. In 1920, however, he sold this land again and bought a new ranch near Alderson , which later became Canada's largest horse breeding company. From 1922 he also raised cattle at Pincher Creek , from 1929 he still kept sheep. Between 1942 and 1945 he sold a large part of his property in order to retire.

Political career

Bowlen began his political career in 1914 when he ran unsuccessfully in the North Battleford constituency . In 1930 he succeeded in entering the Alberta Legislative Assembly when he ran for the Alberta Liberal Party . He defended his seat for the Liberals in 1935 and ran successfully for election as a non-party member in 1940. In 1944, Bowlen was voted out of office after representing the Calgary constituency for fourteen years. In 1936 and 1937 he was parliamentary group spokesman for the Liberals.

Following the recommendation of Prime Minister Louis Saint-Laurent , Bowlen was named Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on February 1, 1950, which was his political climax. After he was confirmed for a second term, he remained in office until his death on December 16, 1959. Bowlen was buried in St. Joachim's Cemetery in Edmonton .

Honors

Bowlen received numerous honors and awards throughout his career. He was vice chairman and later also honorary chairman of the Western Stock Growers' Association and president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . In 1952 he received an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Alberta .

After his death, an administration building in Calgary and an elementary school in Edmonton were named after him.

Web links

• Biography on the Alberta Legislative Assembly website