William Aberhart Biography
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The Honourable William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 - May 23,
1943), also known as Bible Bill for his religious preaching, was
a Canadian politician and Social Credit Premier of Alberta between
1935 and 1943.
The Honourable William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 - May 23,
1943), also known as Bible Bill for his religious preaching, was
a Canadian politician and Social Credit Premier of Alberta between
1935 and 1943.
William Aberhart was born on a farm near Kippen, Ontario. He
attended a local public school and several colleges, receiving
teacher's training. Some time later, in 1911, he earned a Bachelor
of Arts degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
Aberhart taught public school in several areas in Southern Ontario,
including Wingham and Brantford, and was appointed Principal of
Brantford Central Public School in 1905. During his time in Brantford,
he volunteered much time to his devout Baptist faith, preaching
at local churches and holding regular Bible studies.
In 1902, Aberhart married Jessie Flatt, with whom he had two
daughters, Ola Janet and Khona Louise. In 1918, Aberhart began
a Bible study group in Calgary, Alberta which grew steadily year-by-year;
by 1923, the Palace Theatre had to be rented to accommodate those
interested in Aberhart's message. In 1927, Aberhart was appointed
Dean of the newly-founded Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute. The
institute's building served as a centre of worship, radio broadcast,
and biblical studies. Aberhart's Sunday broadcasts proved as popular
as his Bible studies as they drew regular listeners across the
Canadian mid-west, and some listeners in the northern United States.
Aberhart became interested in politics during the Great Depression,
a time which was especially harsh on Albertan farmers. Particularly,
he was drawn to the "social credit" theories of Major C. H. Douglas,
a Scottish engineer. From 1932 to 1935, Aberhart lobbied for the
governing political party, the United Farmers of Alberta, to adopt
these theories, whereby the difference in production cost and
individuals' purchasing power would be supplemented through government
grants. When these efforts failed, Aberhart helped found the Social
Credit Party of Alberta, which won the 1935 provincial election
by a landslide and remained in power in the province until 1971.
Aberhart served as Premier of Alberta, Minister of Education and,
starting in 1937, Attorney General during his tenure with the
party.
His government was unable to implement much of the party platform
since the social credit concept relied on control of the money
supply and of the banks, both of which are a federal responsibility
under the British North America Act. Lieutenant-Governor John
C. Bowen refused to give Royal Assent to three government bills
in 1937. Two of the bills would have put the province's banks
under the control of the provincial government while a third,
the Accurate News and Information Act, would have forced newspapers
to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial cabinet
objected to. All three bills were later declared unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council.
In 1938, relations with the lieutenant governor became so strained
that Bowen even threatened to dismiss Aberhart's government, which
would have been an extraordinary use of his reserve powers. The
Social Credit government remained immensely popular with the Albertan
people, however, so the threat was not carried out.
Although Aberhart was unable to gain complete control of Alberta's
banks, his government eventually gained a foothold in the province's
financial industry by creating the Alberta Treasury Branches in
1938. ATB has become Aberhart's legacy, operating as of 2004 as
an orthodox financial institution and crown corporation.
Aberhart died unexpected on May 23, 1943 during a visit to Vancouver,
British Columbia. He was succeeded as the Premier of Alberta by
his student at the Prophetic Bible Institute and lifelong close
disciple, Ernest Manning .
The Aberhart Centre, a long-term medical care centre in Edmonton,
Alberta, is named in his honour, as is a high school in Calgary.
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