James Gardiner

Politician

• Born: November 30, 1883
• Birthplace: Farquhar, Ontario
• Died: January 12, 1962
• Place of death: Balcarres, Saskatchewan

Contribution: James Gardiner was a politician, farmer, and teacher who spent more than twenty-two years serving in the Canadian legislature. He was twice elected premier of Saskatchewan and, as minister of agriculture, was one of the longest-serving cabinet representatives in the Canadian federal cabinet.

Early Life and Education

James Garfield Gardiner was born on November 30, 1883, and grew up on a farm in Farquhar, Ontario. As a teenager, he traveled to what would soon become the province of Saskatchewan, where he worked as part of a harvesting team. Gardiner decided to settle in the region and worked as a schoolteacher in Lemberg, Saskatchewan, after having earned a degree from Manitoba College in Winnipeg. He later bought a farm in Saskatchewan.

Political Career

In 1914, Gardiner was elected representative for North Qu’Appelle in Saskatchewan. He held this position until 1935, becoming known as a strong supporter of local politics. Gardiner was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1936 as the representative for Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and later served as a member of Parliament for the district of Melville, Saskatchewan. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada throughout his career, Gardiner had such an influence on the leadership of the party in Saskatchewan that the Liberal Party became the most powerful political force in the province for many years. However, he would later fail in his bid to become national leader of the Liberal Party in 1948.

During his time as a provincial politician, Gardiner was twice provincial treasurer, leader of the opposition, minister of highways, and minister of railways. He was the first politician to hold the position of premier of the region in two nonconsecutive sessions. While in office, Gardiner also had to deal with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which had gained a foothold in local politics and was espousing racial hatred against minorities in the region. Gardiner was eventually successful in driving the KKK out of Saskatchewan.

In the House of Commons, Gardiner was a member of numerous committees, including the standing committee on agriculture and colonization and the standing committee on banking and commerce. As federal minister of agriculture for eighteen years, Gardiner played an important role in influencing the direction of Canadian economic policies for an extended time period. One example can be seen in the 1939 Prairie Farm Assistance Act. Always a strong supporter of farmers, Gardiner was determined to pass this act, which would recognize the need for federal responsibility for the economic well-being of grain farmers in the Prairie provinces. The act eventually led to the introduction of similar agricultural policies at both the local and national level.

In recognition of Gardiner’s contributions to Canadian federal and provincial politics, the Gardiner Dam was named after him. Additionally, Gardiner Avenue and Gardiner Park Court in Regina, Saskatchewan, were also named in his honor.

Personal Life

James Gardiner married Christy Violet MacEwen in 1917. They had four children, two boys and two girls. Their oldest son was killed in World War II in 1942, and Christy died two years later. Gardiner died on January 12, 1962, at the age of seventy-eight, on his farm in Saskatchewan.

Bibliography

Benson, Nathaniel Anketell. None of It Came Easy: The Story of James Garfield Gardiner. Toronto: Burns, 1955. Print.

“Gardiner, James Garfield.” City of Regina. City of Regina, n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.

“Jimmy Rides Again.” Time 24 Jan. 1944: 19. Print.

Moore, Christopher. “Who Was Jimmy Gardiner Anyway?” Beaver Oct./Nov. 2006: 52–53. Print.

Quiring, Brett, ed. Saskatchewan Politicians: Lives Past and Present. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, 2004. Print.