Cliff Matthews
Encyclopedia
Albert Clifford Matthews was a Manitoba
lawyer and politician. In 1961, he ran for the leadership of the province's newly created New Democratic Party
.
Matthews was born in Swan River Valley, Manitoba, and received a degree in law from the University of Manitoba
. He first campaigned for national office in 1949, running for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (predecessor to the NDP) in the riding of Portage—Neepawa
. This was an area in which the CCF had little support, and Matthews placed a distant third. He was still a student during this campaign.
Matthews was later elected to the Dauphin school board, and ran for the provincial CCF in the elections of 1958
and 1959
, in the riding of Dauphin. He lost both times, though his second-place finish on the latter occasion was a notable achievement for the party.
Matthews was considered an "outsider candidate" in the NDP leadership race of 1961. He had few ideological differences with victorious candidate Russell Paulley
, who had previously served as leader of the CCF. Paulley was elected on the first ballot, defeating Matthews and Hans Fries
.
Matthews campaigned for the new party in the rural riding of Ethelbert Plains in the 1962 election
, but placed a distant third. He returned to his law practice afterwards.
The University of Winnipeg
currently offers an Albert Clifford Matthews Memorial Scholarship in Politics.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
lawyer and politician. In 1961, he ran for the leadership of the province's newly created New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
.
Matthews was born in Swan River Valley, Manitoba, and received a degree in law from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. He first campaigned for national office in 1949, running for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (predecessor to the NDP) in the riding of Portage—Neepawa
Portage—Neepawa
Portage—Neepawa was a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1949 to 1968.This riding was created in 1947 from parts of Macdonald, Neepawa and Portage La Prairie ridings....
. This was an area in which the CCF had little support, and Matthews placed a distant third. He was still a student during this campaign.
Matthews was later elected to the Dauphin school board, and ran for the provincial CCF in the elections of 1958
Manitoba general election, 1958
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...
and 1959
Manitoba general election, 1959
Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
, in the riding of Dauphin. He lost both times, though his second-place finish on the latter occasion was a notable achievement for the party.
Matthews was considered an "outsider candidate" in the NDP leadership race of 1961. He had few ideological differences with victorious candidate Russell Paulley
Russell Paulley
Andrew Russell Paulley was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1959 to 1961, and its successor, the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, from 1961 to 1969.Paulley was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
, who had previously served as leader of the CCF. Paulley was elected on the first ballot, defeating Matthews and Hans Fries
Hans Fries (politician)
Hans Fries was a Manitoba politician and perennial candidate for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and New Democratic Party. In 1961, he campaigned for the leadership of the Manitoba New Democratic Party....
.
Matthews campaigned for the new party in the rural riding of Ethelbert Plains in the 1962 election
Manitoba general election, 1962
Manitoba's general election of December 16, 1962 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a second majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
, but placed a distant third. He returned to his law practice afterwards.
The University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
currently offers an Albert Clifford Matthews Memorial Scholarship in Politics.