William Aberhart

The Honourable  William Aberhart
William Aberhart in 1937.
7th Premier of Alberta
In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943
Preceded by	Richard Gavin Reid
Succeeded by	Ernest Manning
Alberta Minister of Education
In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943
Preceded by	Perren Baker
Succeeded by	Solon Earl Low
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office March 21, 1940 – May 23, 1943 Serving with James Mahaffy, Fred Anderson, Andrew Davison, John J. Bowlen
Preceded by	Edith Gostick, Ernest Manning, Fred Anderson, John Irwin, John J. Bowlen, John Hugill
Succeeded by	James Mahaffy, Fred Anderson, Andrew Davison, John J. Bowlen
Constituency	Calgary
In office November 4, 1935 – March 21, 1940
Preceded by	William Morrison
Succeeded by	John Broomfield
Constituency	Okotoks-High River
Born	December 30, 1878(1878-12-30) Kippen, Ontario
Died	May 23, 1943 (aged 64) Vancouver, British Columbia
Political party	Social Credit
Spouse(s)	Jessie Flatt
Children	Ola Janet Aberhart, Khona Louise Aberhart
Residence	Calgary
Occupation	Educator, evangelist
Religion	Dispensationalist
Signature

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. Social Credit party believed the problem for the depression was that people didn't have enough money to spend so, the government should give everyone $25/month to stimulate the economy.

Early life

William Aberhart was born December 30, 1878 in Tuckersmith Township (now part of Huron East, Ontario) to William and Louisa (née Pepper) Aberhart.^[1] William Aberhart Sr. had immigrated to Canada from Germany with his family at the age of seven, while Louisa Pepper was born in Perth County, Ontario.^[2] Historian Harold Schultz describes the Aberharts as "prosperous", while biographers David Elliott and Iris Miller says they "lived better than the average family".^[1][3] The fourth of eight children, William Aberhart Jr. delivered milk to his father's customers before school each day.^[4] At school, he was a hard-working but average student.^[5][6] Mathematics was one of his strengths, though his approach involved more rote learning than reasoning. Elliott and Miller suggest that this tendency stayed with him his entire life, and that he "never really acquired an appreciation for inductive intellectual analysis".^[5]

Aberhart was not a social child.^[7] Though he excelled at soccer,^[6] he generally preferred solitary pursuits such as reading or teaching himself to play musical instruments.^[8][9]

He attended a local public school and several colleges, receiving teacher's training. 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 faith, preaching at various local churches and holding regular Bible studies.

In 1902, Aberhart married Jessie Flatt, with whom he had two daughters, Ola Janet and Khona Louise. He had aspired to take ministerial training at the Presbyterian Knox College Divinity School, but the church in Brantford was reluctant to take on the support of both him and his family in the four year training period. He became fascinated with prophetical teaching in the Bible and studied a correspondence course by the American evangelical theologian Cyrus Scofield. He had been introduced to this system while attending a men's Bible Class at Zion Presbyterian, taught by Wiiliam Nichol, an elderly physician.^[10]

In 1910, Aberhart accepted a position as principal of Alexandra School in Calgary, Alberta. His initial Bible Study Teaching in Calgary commenced at the Grace Presbyterian Church at the Young Men's Bible Class. Within a few weeks attendance was over 100 and he attracted the attendance of the senior minister Dr. Esler, but his views on prophecy did not jibe with senior minister's reformed beliefs and his teaching privileges were cancelled. He then moved on to teach successively at the Wesley and Trinity Methodist Churches.^[11] Although seeds of his interest in the Baptist faith had been planted while in Ontario, it was not until his involvement with Westbourne Baptist Church in Calgary as a lay preacher, that he and his wife were baptised in the Baptist faith. 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 1925, radio station CFCN broadcast his Sunday sermons for the first time, taking his prophetic message beyond the confines of a theatre to listeners across the Prairies. 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.

Political career

Aberhart became interested in politics during the Great Depression in Canada, a time which was especially harsh on Albertan and Saskatchewan farmers. Particularly, he was drawn to the Social Credit theories of Major C. H. Douglas, a British engineer. From 1932 to 1935, Aberhart lobbied for the governing political party, the United Farmers of Alberta, to adopt these theories, but it is doubtful that Aberhart fully understood the theories.^[12] The basis of Douglas's A+B theorem is that prices rise faster than incomes when regarded as a flow, and individuals' purchasing power should be supplemented through issuance of new credits which have not derived from the productive system. Aberhart's lobbying to encourage the United Farmers to adopt Social Credit principles was not successful. He then helped found the Social Credit Party of Alberta, which won the 1935 provincial election by a landslide with over 54% of the popular vote.^[13]

The Social Credit Party remained in power in the province until the 1971 election, though it moved away from Douglas' monetary theories after Aberhart's death in 1943. 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 responsibility of the federal government of Canada 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. Aberhart's government was re-elected in the 1940 election. With 43% of the vote his party won 63% of the seats.

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^[update] as an orthodox financial institution and crown corporation.

Aberhart died unexpectedly on May 23, 1943, during a visit to Vancouver, British Columbia. He was succeeded as the Premier of Alberta by his lifelong disciple, Ernest C. Manning.

Ideology

Elliott (1978) argues that the Aberhart’s Social Credit ideology was clearly antithetical to his previous theology, which was highly sectarian, separatist, apolitical, other-worldly, and eschatologically oriented. Elliott challenges the arguments of Mann (1955) and Irving (1959) that there was a definite connection between Aberhart's theology and political program. Elliott reports that Aberhart's political support did not come from the sectarian groups as Mann and Irving suggest, but rather it came from the members of established churches and those with marginal religious commitment.^[14] Although considered radical, Aberhart's ideology was also influenced by right-wing figures such as Father Coughlin and Henry Ford.

Legacy

The Aberhart Centre, a long-term medical care centre in Edmonton, Alberta, is named in his honour, as is William Aberhart High School in Calgary.

Electoral record

See also

• History of Alberta
• 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt

References

Articles

• Schultz, Harold J. (1964). "Portrait of a Premier: William Aberhart". Canadian Historical Review (Toronto, Alberta: University of Toronto Press) 45 (3): 185–228. ISSN 0008-3755. 

Books

• Barr, John J. (1974). The Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of Social Credit in Alberta. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited. ISBN 077101015X. 
• Bell, Edward (1993). Social Classes & Social Credit in Alberta. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0773511695. 
• Bell, Edward (2004). "Ernest Manning". in Bradford J. Rennie. Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. pp. 148–178. ISBN 0-88977-151-0. 
• Brennan, Brian (2008). The Good Steward: The Ernest C. Manning Story. Calgary, Alberta: Fifth House Ltd.. ISBN 978-1-897252-16-1. 
• Byrne, T. C. (1991). Alberta's Revolutionary Leaders. Calgary, Alberta: Detselig Enterprises. ISBN 1-55059-024-3. 
• Elliott, David R. (2004). "William Aberhart". in Bradford J. Rennie. Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. pp. 126–145. ISBN 0-88977-151-0. 
• Elliott, David R.; Miller, Iris (1987). Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart. Edmonton: Reidmore Books. ISBN 091909144X. 
• Finkel, Alvin (1989). The Social Credit Phenomenon in Alberta. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6731-X. 
• Foster, Franklin L. (1981). John E. Brownlee: A Biography. Lloydminster, Alberta: Foster Learning Inc. ISBN 978-1552200049. 
• Mackey, Lloyd (1997). Like father, like son: Ernest Manning & Preston Manning. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-299-6. 
• MacPherson, C. B. (1953). Democracy in Alberta: Social Credit and the Party System. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 8020-6009-9. 
• Mallory, J. R. (1954). Social Credit and the Federal Power in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6301-2. 
• Mardon, Ernest; Mardon, Austin (1993). Alberta Election Results 1882–1992. Edmonton: Documentary Heritage Society of Alberta. 
• Rennie, Bradford J. (2004). "Richard Reid". in Bradford J. Rennie. Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. pp. 108–120. ISBN 0-88977-151-0. 
• Wardhaugh, Robert Alexander (2000). MacKenzie King and the Prairie West. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802047335. 

Further reading

• Calderola, Carlo. "The Social Credit in Alberta, 1935-1971." In Society and Politics in Alberta, edited by C. Calderola. (1979) 33-48
• Clark, S. D. "The Religious Sect in Canadian Politics." The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Nov., 1945), pp. 207–216 online in JSTOR
• Cook, Ramsay, ed. Politics of Discontent (1967), with article on Aberhart
• Flanagan, Thomas. "Social Credit in Alberta: A Canadian 'Cargo Cult'?" Archives de Sociologie des Religions 34 (1972): 39-48.
• Flanagan, Thomas, and Martha F. Lee, "From Social Credit to Social Conservatism: The Evolution of an Ideology," Prairie Forum 16 (1991): 205-223.
• Irving, John A. The Social Credit Movement in Alberta (1959)
• Neatby, H. Blair; The Politics of Chaos: Canada in the Thirties Macmillan of Canada, (1972) online version
• Thomas, Lewis Herbert, ed. William Aberhart and Social Credit in Alberta (1977) reader with multiple interpretations

Primary sources

• David R. Elliott, ed., Aberhart: Outpourings and Replies (Historical Society of Alberta, 1991), 1-41.
• Ernest C. Manning. Political Realignment: A Challenge to Thoughtful Canadians (1967)

External links

• Encyclopedia of Alberta Online
• Alberta Source
• Alberta legislative assembly
• AllRefer.com Biography
• William Aberhart Historical Foundation
• CBC 1943 archival video clip on Aberhart's legacy

Notes

v • d • e Premiers of Alberta Rutherford · Sifton · Stewart · Greenfield · Brownlee · Reid · Aberhart · Manning · Strom · Lougheed · Getty · Klein · Stelmach