John Oliver (politician)

John Oliver

John Oliver (born July 31, 1856 in Hartington , England , † August 17, 1927 in Victoria ) was a Canadian politician and farmer . From March 6, 1918 until his death, he was Prime Minister of the Province of British Columbia and Chairman of the British Columbia Liberal Party .

biography

Oliver grew up in the English county of Derbyshire . At the age of eleven, he left school to work in a lead mine. When this closed, his family emigrated to Ontario in 1870 . Seven years later he moved on to British Columbia and started a farm near Surrey . In 1882 he gave up his extra income as a tax collector, sold his land and bought a farm in Delta .

In June 1900, Oliver was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and was immediately leader of the opposition (there were no parties in the province at that time). In 1903 he joined the newly formed British Columbia Liberal Party. He lost his seat in November 1909, but was re-elected in July 1916. In the Harlan Carey Brewsters cabinet, Oliver was Minister for Agriculture and Railways.

Brewster died on March 1, 1918. Four days later, Oliver was elected party chairman and assumed the office of Prime Minister on March 6. His government promoted agriculture in the Okanagan region , expanded health and education systems, and improved labor legislation. In the June 1924 elections, the Liberals suffered losses and Oliver was only able to maintain power with a coalition government.

Oliver died in office in 1927; at the time he was the oldest head of government in Canada. The place Oliver and Mount John Oliver in the Cariboo Mountains are named after him .

Web links

• John Oliver . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
• John Oliver ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .