Alfred Hooke
Encyclopedia
Alfred "Alf" John Hooke (February 25, 1905 – after 1971) was a teacher, provincial politician and author from Alberta
, Canada
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1935 to 1971 sitting with the Social Credit party in government. During his time in office Hooke served numerous cabinet portfolio's in the government of Ernest Manning
from 1943 to 1968.
, Gloucestershire
, United Kingdom
. His family moved to the province of Alberta
in Canada
in 1913. Hooke began attending school after his arrival. At the age of 13 Hooke left school and joined the work force as a hired hand. He returned to school and completed his studies three years later.
Hooke became a teacher in 1926 and kept that profession until he was elected as a provincial politician in 1935.
through his work as a school teacher and became involved with Aberhart as a speaker on the Social Credit theory.
Despite not wanting to at first and he was urged by people in the town of Rocky Mountain House
to put his name up for the nomination in the Red Deer
electoral district. He faced nine other candidates for the nomination and headed the polls on the first ballot where six were eliminated. The other four names went to the Social Credit advisory committee where he was chosen to run in the 1935 Alberta general election
. Hook defeated incumbent MLA William Payne
and three other candidates with a large majority to pickup the district for his party.
The 1940 boundary redistribution created a separate electoral district for Rocky Mountain House. Hooke ran for a seat in the new district in the election held that year
. He won a clear majority on the first ballot defeating two other candidates.
Premier Ernest Manning
appointed Hooke to his first cabinet portfolio as Provincial Secretary in his first cabinet on June 1, 1943. Hooke ran for a third term in the 1944 general election
with ministerial advantage and won a landslide.
Hooke would briefly hold two cabinet portfolios when Manning appointed him to be the Minister of Economic Affairs on April 20, 1945. He ran for his fourth term in the 1948 Alberta general election
. He was returned to office with another large victory. After the election Manning gave the Provincial Secretary position to Clarence Gerhart while Hooke kept the Economic Affairs portfolio.
Hooke ran for a fifth term and won easily in the 1952 Alberta general election
. After the election Hooke became Minister of Public Works.
Hooke stood for his sixth term in the 1955 Alberta general election
. He defeated two other candidates with a sold majority to return to office. Manning appointed Hooke back to being Provincial Secretary as well as Minister of Municipal Affairs.
The 1959 Alberta general election
would see Hooke win his seventh term easily. He would only serve a single portfolio after the ensuing cabinet shuffle. Hooke kept the Municipal Affairs portfolio while the Provincial Secretary position was given to Allen Patrick.
Hooke ran for his eight term in the 1963 Alberta general election
. He was returned with another massive majority.
In 1966 NDP
MLA Garth Turcott
leveled accusations of corruption and misusing public office for personal gain against Edgar Hinman
and Hooke, the same accusations were being repeated by Neil Reimer
the leader of the NDP at the time. The unproven accusations began attracting nationwide attention and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
were called in to ensure the safety of Hooke and his family.
Hooke ran for re-election to his ninth term in the 1967 Alberta general election
. Pundits at the time predicted Hooke had very little chance at re-election. He faced two other candidates in the race including Independent William Sinclair who had been picked by federal Social Credit
leader Robert Thompson
to run against Hooke. Hooke won the election with another massive majority.
Manning returned Hooke to cabinet as Minister of Public Welfare to bring the department under control as it became the highest spending and the most spending department. He only served that portfolio for a year before becoming the Minister of Lands and Forests on July 16, 1968.
Hooke ran for leadership of the Social Credit party in the 1968 leadership race. He was defeated finishing last on the first ballot. The race was won by Harry Strom
who did not invite Hooke back into cabinet. Hooke retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the legislature in 1971.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
from 1935 to 1971 sitting with the Social Credit party in government. During his time in office Hooke served numerous cabinet portfolio's in the government of Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
from 1943 to 1968.
Early life
Alfred John Hooke was born on February 25, 1905 in WhitecroftWhitecroft
Whitecroft is a village in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England.It is located in-between Bream and Yorkley.- External links :*...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His family moved to the province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1913. Hooke began attending school after his arrival. At the age of 13 Hooke left school and joined the work force as a hired hand. He returned to school and completed his studies three years later.
Hooke became a teacher in 1926 and kept that profession until he was elected as a provincial politician in 1935.
Political career
Hooke joined the Social Credit movement in the very beginning becoming familiar with William AberhartWilliam Aberhart
William Aberhart , also known as Bible Bill for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh Premier of Alberta between 1935 and 1943. The Social Credit party believed the reason for the depression was that people did not have enough money to spend, so the government...
through his work as a school teacher and became involved with Aberhart as a speaker on the Social Credit theory.
Despite not wanting to at first and he was urged by people in the town of Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada, approximately west of the City of Red Deer. It is located at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 and Highway 11 .- History :The town has a long history dating to the...
to put his name up for the nomination in the Red Deer
Red Deer (provincial electoral district)
Red Deer was a provincial electoral district representing the city of Red Deer, Alberta in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1905 to 1986...
electoral district. He faced nine other candidates for the nomination and headed the polls on the first ballot where six were eliminated. The other four names went to the Social Credit advisory committee where he was chosen to run in the 1935 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1935
The Alberta general election of 1935 was the eighth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 22, 1935 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. Hook defeated incumbent MLA William Payne
William Ernest Payne
William Ernest Payne was a lawyer and provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1931 to 1935 sitting with the Conservative caucus in opposition.-Early life:...
and three other candidates with a large majority to pickup the district for his party.
The 1940 boundary redistribution created a separate electoral district for Rocky Mountain House. Hooke ran for a seat in the new district in the election held that year
Alberta general election, 1940
The Alberta general election of 1940 was the ninth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, was held on March 21, 1940 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He won a clear majority on the first ballot defeating two other candidates.
Premier Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
appointed Hooke to his first cabinet portfolio as Provincial Secretary in his first cabinet on June 1, 1943. Hooke ran for a third term in the 1944 general election
Alberta general election, 1944
The Alberta general election of 1944 was the tenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The Assembly was dissolved on July 8, 1944 and the vote for was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
with ministerial advantage and won a landslide.
Hooke would briefly hold two cabinet portfolios when Manning appointed him to be the Minister of Economic Affairs on April 20, 1945. He ran for his fourth term in the 1948 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1948
The Alberta general election of 1948 was the eleventh general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 17, 1948 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He was returned to office with another large victory. After the election Manning gave the Provincial Secretary position to Clarence Gerhart while Hooke kept the Economic Affairs portfolio.
Hooke ran for a fifth term and won easily in the 1952 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1952
The Alberta general election of 1952 was the twelfth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 5, 1952 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
. After the election Hooke became Minister of Public Works.
Hooke stood for his sixth term in the 1955 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1955
The Alberta general election of 1955 was the thirteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 29, 1955 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He defeated two other candidates with a sold majority to return to office. Manning appointed Hooke back to being Provincial Secretary as well as Minister of Municipal Affairs.
The 1959 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1959
The Alberta general election of 1959 was the fourteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 18, 1959 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
would see Hooke win his seventh term easily. He would only serve a single portfolio after the ensuing cabinet shuffle. Hooke kept the Municipal Affairs portfolio while the Provincial Secretary position was given to Allen Patrick.
Hooke ran for his eight term in the 1963 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1963
The Alberta general election of 1963 was the fifteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 17, 1963 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.The Social Credit Party, led by Ernest C...
. He was returned with another massive majority.
In 1966 NDP
Alberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
MLA Garth Turcott
Garth Turcott
Garth A. Turcott is a lawyer and a former provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1966 to 1967 sitting as the only member of the New Democratic Party caucus in opposition at that time....
leveled accusations of corruption and misusing public office for personal gain against Edgar Hinman
Edgar Hinman
Edgar Wynder "Ted" Hinman was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1967 and again from 1971 to 1975 sitting with the Social Credit caucus in both government and opposition...
and Hooke, the same accusations were being repeated by Neil Reimer
Neil Reimer
Neil Reimer , was an activist, trade unionist and former political figure in Canada.After leaving the University of Saskatchewan in 1942 at the age of 19, Reimer went to work at the Consumers Co-operative Refinery, in Regina, Saskatchewan. He immediately joined a Congress of Industrial...
the leader of the NDP at the time. The unproven accusations began attracting nationwide attention and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
were called in to ensure the safety of Hooke and his family.
Hooke ran for re-election to his ninth term in the 1967 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1967
The Alberta general election of 1967 was the sixteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 23, 1967 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. Pundits at the time predicted Hooke had very little chance at re-election. He faced two other candidates in the race including Independent William Sinclair who had been picked by federal Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
leader Robert Thompson
Robert N. Thompson
Robert Norman Thompson was a Canadian politician, chiropractor, and educator. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, to Canadian parents and moved to Canada in 1918 with his family...
to run against Hooke. Hooke won the election with another massive majority.
Manning returned Hooke to cabinet as Minister of Public Welfare to bring the department under control as it became the highest spending and the most spending department. He only served that portfolio for a year before becoming the Minister of Lands and Forests on July 16, 1968.
Hooke ran for leadership of the Social Credit party in the 1968 leadership race. He was defeated finishing last on the first ballot. The race was won by Harry Strom
Harry Strom
Harry Edwin Strom was the ninth Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1968 to 1971. His two and a half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its replacement by a new era Progressive Conservative government...
who did not invite Hooke back into cabinet. Hooke retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the legislature in 1971.