John Walter Jones

John Walter Jones

John Walter Jones (born April 14, 1878 in Pownal, † March 31, 1954 in Ottawa ) was a Canadian politician of the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party , who was Prime Minister of Prince Edward Island between 1943 and 1953 . He was then a member of the Senate of Canada from 1953 until his death .

Life

Degree, agronomist and farmer

Jones, son of James Benjamin Jones and Maria Isabel Stewart, first attended elementary school in his native Pownal and then graduated from Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown . During his studies he joined the Abagweit Amateur Athletic Association in 1898 and took part in numerous athletics competitions in hammer throw , but also in all-around competitions. After completing this with the teaching certificate, he worked as a teacher for three years. He then graduated from Acadia University in Wolfville and graduated in 1904 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). At that time he was also the team captain of the university's rugby team and then from 1905 to 1907 the first principal of the newly established MacDonald Consolidated School in Guelph .

He then completed postgraduate studies in agricultural sciences at the University of Toronto , graduating in 1909 with a Bachelor of Science (B. Sc. Agriculture). After studying with financial support through scholarships at the University of Chicago , Clark University , Columbia University and Columbia University, he became a lecturer in agricultural sciences at the Hampton Agriculture Institute in Hampton in 1910 . He then worked for the US Department of Agriculture from 1911 to 1912 and then headed a research farm in Arlington County , which was the largest of its kind at the time. He became an expert in agricultural research and was in contact with the farmers of Prince Edward Island during his stay in the USA. He convinced them to invest in the modernization of potato cultivation and to import seeds from the USA.

Upon his return, Jones was a member of the Federal Commission for Nature Conservation between 1912 and 1913. Together with BI Rayner he wrote The Domestication of the Fox (1912) and as a sole author Fur Farming in Canada (1913), which made him a recognized specialist in fur farming . In 1914 he obtained a Master of Arts (MA) from Acadia University and took over the farm of his father-in-law in Bunbury, where he dealt with traditional agriculture and fox breeding . He imported domestic cattle and developed the Abegweit herd. His dairy cows won numerous awards and one of his cows set a world record in butterfat production.

Jones was initially a member of the Farmer Progressive Party and in 1920 became treasurer and managing director of the United Farmers of Prince Edward Island . He ran for the Farmer Progressive Party for the December 6, 1921 election , but missed entry into the House of Commons of Canada . He then joined the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party . In addition to cattle breeding, he continued to play a key role in the development of fur farming in the province and in 1929 he became the founding president of the Association of Silver Fox Fur Breeders on Prince Edward Island. In 1931 he won the recognized master breeder award of the Holstein Cattle Association, making him the first individual breeder to win this award. His breeding cattle were also awarded prizes at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and the Canadian National Exhibition in 1932 . In 1935 he also received the King George V Medal for best farmer on Prince Edward Island and the King's Jubilee Medal for outstanding services in agriculture.

Provincial MP, Prime Minister of Prince Edward Island and Federal Senator

In the elections of July 23, 1935, he was elected as a candidate for the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party in the constituency of 4th Queens for the first time to the legislative assembly of Prince Edward Island and in the subsequent elections on May 18, 1939, September 15, 1943, 11 Re-elected December 1947 and April 26, 1951. In addition to his membership in the provincial parliament, between 1937 and 1938 he also acted as an advisor to the Department of Agriculture of Canada for the development of fox fur farming.

After the previous Prime Minister Thane Campbell had become President of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island (Chief Justice) , Jones took over the office of Prime Minister as his successor on May 11, 1943 and held this office for more than ten years until May 25, 1953, whereupon he was replaced by Alexander Wallace Matheson . As Prime Minister he was also chairman of the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party .

In 1943 he was also Minister for Public Welfare and Minister responsible for the security precautions against air raids. On January 31, 1944, he also took over the post of Minister of Agriculture, which he held until February 28, 1945. He was also Minister of Education until February 1950 and Minister of Reconstruction from February 28, 1945 to January 1949, after which he became Minister of Finance of the Province and held this position until February 1950. He then held the office of Minister for Public Works and Highways between February and December 1950. In December 1951, he again took over the office of Minister of Education and held this until May 19, 1953.

During his tenure as prime minister, he was particularly committed to the farmers of the island province. During a strike by warehouse workers at Canada Packers in 1947, he hired non- union workers to ensure the sale of agricultural products. He also had the sale of margarine temporarily banned in favor of dairy farmers , even though it was cheaper for consumers. Jones, a proponent of Prohibition , gave control of the island's alcohol supply to the government in 1948. In addition, he created several measures to improve the infrastructure of the island and its farmers, such as an electricity program for rural areas, analysis systems for agricultural soils, veterinary services and a forestry program. In addition, the network of the Trans-Canada Highway on Prince Edward Island was expanded.

On May 19, 1953 Jones, 1951 was honorary doctorate was awarded the Law of the Acadia University from Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent for the Liberal Party of Canada in the Senate of Canada called and belonged to this as a representative of the Division Queen's Prince Edward Iceland to on his death on March 31, 1954.

After his death he was buried in the Crossroads Christian Church Cemetery . His marriage to Katherine Francis Bovyer on December 23, 1909 resulted in the five children Lois, Vimy, Helen, Bovyer and Bernard ("Bus"). In 1962 he was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame . In 1986 he was also inducted into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame .

Web links

• Entry in the Premiers Gallery of the Prince Edward Island Government
• Entry on the home page of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island