Elmer Ernest Roper
Encyclopedia
Elmer Ernest Roper was a politician in Alberta
, Canada
. He served as leader of the Alberta Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
, the mayor of Edmonton
, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
. He was also a candidate for the Canadian House of Commons
.
, the son of a sea captain. He was educated in Sydney
, and moved west to Calgary, Alberta in 1907. There he apprenticed as a printer and found work in the Calgary Herald
's press room. On June 15, 1914, he married Goldie C. Bell, with whom he would have three daughters and one son and who would predecease him by weeks.
He became involved in the labour movement as a young man, and was president of the Calgary Trades & Labour Council by 1916. His tenure in this position was short-lived, as he moved to Edmonton the following year to become the head of the Edmonton Bulletin
s press room. There he took a position of leadership in running the Edmonton District Labour Council (later the Edmonton Trades & Labour Council), and was involved in the 1919 strike (a sympathy strike with the Winnipeg General Strike).
In 1921 he left the Bulletin to found his own printing business, which he would operate until his retirement. The same year, he made his first bid for elected office.
, Roper ran as a Labour candidate in Edmonton
. He finished seventh of twenty-one candidates on the first ballot (the riding used a single transferable vote
voting system at the time) and was eliminated from contention on subsequent counts.
In 1922, Roper became secretary-treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour
. He would hold the position for a decade. Roper edited the AF of L's official organ Alberta Labour News from 1921 to 1935 when he changed the newspaper's name to People's Weekly and made it the de facto house organ of the new Alberta Co-operative Commonwealth Federation with William Irvine
as co-editor.
Roper ran for school trustee in Edmonton's 1924 municipal election
. He finished fourth of seven candidates, in an election in which the top three candidates were elected. He tried again the next year's election
, and again finished fourth of seven candidates; however, the board's staggered electoral system meant that, though only three of the board's seven trustees had been elected in 1924, four were up for election in 1924 and Roper was elected. He would be re-elected in 1927
, but did not seek re-election at the expiration of his second term.
He continued to seek office at other levels. In the 1926 provincial election
, he was again a Labour candidate in Edmonton. He was less successful on this occasion, finishing sixteenth of eighteen candidates on the first ballot. He tried again in a 1931 by-election resulting from the death of Charles Weaver
; he finished second of four candidates as Conservative
Frederick C. Jamieson reclaimed the seat for Weaver's party.
Roper's lone attempt at federal office took place in the 1935 election
, when he ran for the newly-formed Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
in Edmonton East
; he finished fourth of six candidates as William Samuel Hall
took the riding for the Social Credit Party of Canada
.
Roper had joined the CCF at the provincial level as well, and ran under its banner in the 1940 election
, finishing seventh of nineteen candidates on the first ballot and being defeated once again. No CCF members had been elected during that election, but that was about to change.
quickly stepped aside to hand the leadership to the party's first MLA.
Elmer Roper would be leader of the CCF for thirteen years, but his tenure as its lone MLA would be considerably shorter: after the 1944 election
, he was joined in the legislature by Aylmer Liesemer
of Calgary
. These two seats would be as high as the CCF would climb during Roper's tenure as its leader.
Both incumbents were re-elected in the 1948 election
, but the party's share of the vote actually fell from 25% to 19%, and Roper was unable to add any new MLAs to his tiny caucus as Social Credit's stranglehold over the province remained intact. He did get a new MLA after the 1952 election
- Willingdon's Nick Dushenski
- but this gain was cancelled by Liesemer's defeat. Worse, the CCF's vote fell further, to 14%, and the Alberta Liberal Party
doubled its seat count to four, making it clearly the official opposition and leaving the CCF has the third party.
Things would only get worse for Roper. In the 1955 election
, the CCF's share of the vote reached 8% and the previously dormant Conservatives passed it in the seat count. Moreover, Roper himself lost his seat in Edmonton (although Dusehsnki was returned and Stanley Ruzycki
was elected in Vegreville
). He actually placed third of thirty candidates on the first ballot, but as Premier Ernest Manning
's large number of surplus votes was redistributed to the riding's other Social Credit candidates (and James Harper Prowse
's only slightly smaller surplus was redistributed to other Liberals), Roper fell out of the top seven, where he needed to remain in order to be elected.
Following the election, Roper relinquished the CCF leadership. He would never again seek provincial office.
, the city's mayoralty was up for grabs. William Hawrelak
had resigned in scandal, and the man that the Edmonton City Council
had chosen to replace him, Frederick John Mitchell
, had decided to return to his aldermanic post rather than contest the mayoral election. Roper chose to contest it, and defeated three candidates (most notably his former legislature colleague James Prowse). He was re-elected in the 1961 election
, handily defeating alderman Ed Leger, but did not seek re-election at the conclusion of his second term. At the age of seventy, he was finished with politics.
in 1975, and died there November 12, 1994. His wife had died in August, just after the couple's eightieth anniversary, and he was survived by two daughters and a son, former Edmonton alderman G Lyall Roper.
He had been made an honorary life member of the Rotary Club in 1928, and had received an honorary doctorate in laws from the University of Alberta
in 1959. Additionally, Roper Road and Roper Industrial, an Edmonton road and neighbourhood respectively, are named in his honour.
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 leader of the Alberta Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
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...
, the mayor of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, and 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...
. He was also a candidate for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Early life
Roper was born in Ingonish, Nova ScotiaIngonish, Nova Scotia
Ingonish is a Canadian rural community in northeastern Victoria County, Nova Scotia.Located along the northeast coast of Cape Breton Island, Ingonish is situated on the Cabot Trail approximately 60 kilometers from the shire town of Baddeck...
, the son of a sea captain. He was educated in Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, and moved west to Calgary, Alberta in 1907. There he apprenticed as a printer and found work in the Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
's press room. On June 15, 1914, he married Goldie C. Bell, with whom he would have three daughters and one son and who would predecease him by weeks.
He became involved in the labour movement as a young man, and was president of the Calgary Trades & Labour Council by 1916. His tenure in this position was short-lived, as he moved to Edmonton the following year to become the head of the Edmonton Bulletin
Edmonton Bulletin
The Edmonton Bulletin was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Frank Oliver, a politician and future minister in the Canadian Government....
s press room. There he took a position of leadership in running the Edmonton District Labour Council (later the Edmonton Trades & Labour Council), and was involved in the 1919 strike (a sympathy strike with the Winnipeg General Strike).
In 1921 he left the Bulletin to found his own printing business, which he would operate until his retirement. The same year, he made his first bid for elected office.
Early political career
In the 1921 provincial electionAlberta general election, 1921
The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....
, Roper ran as a Labour candidate in Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
. He finished seventh of twenty-one candidates on the first ballot (the riding used a single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
voting system at the time) and was eliminated from contention on subsequent counts.
In 1922, Roper became secretary-treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour
Alberta Federation of Labour
The Alberta Federation of Labour is the Alberta provincial trade union federation of the Canadian Labour Congress. It was founded in 1912 and has a membership of approximately 125,000 from 31 unions.-External links:*...
. He would hold the position for a decade. Roper edited the AF of L's official organ Alberta Labour News from 1921 to 1935 when he changed the newspaper's name to People's Weekly and made it the de facto house organ of the new Alberta Co-operative Commonwealth Federation with William Irvine
William Irvine
William Irvine may refer to:*William Irvine , Clerk of the Rolls for Scotland*William Irvine , American Revolutionary War general, congressman from Pennsylvania...
as co-editor.
Roper ran for school trustee in Edmonton's 1924 municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1924
The 1924 municipal election was held December 8, 1924 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
. He finished fourth of seven candidates, in an election in which the top three candidates were elected. He tried again the next year's election
Edmonton municipal election, 1925
The 1925 municipal election was held December 14, 1925 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
, and again finished fourth of seven candidates; however, the board's staggered electoral system meant that, though only three of the board's seven trustees had been elected in 1924, four were up for election in 1924 and Roper was elected. He would be re-elected in 1927
Edmonton municipal election, 1927
The 1927 municipal election was held December 12, 1927 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
, but did not seek re-election at the expiration of his second term.
He continued to seek office at other levels. In the 1926 provincial election
Alberta general election, 1926
The Alberta general election of 1926 was the sixth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 28, 1926 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The writs of election were issued on May 10, 1926 allowing for an election period of 40 days.After Herbert...
, he was again a Labour candidate in Edmonton. He was less successful on this occasion, finishing sixteenth of eighteen candidates on the first ballot. He tried again in a 1931 by-election resulting from the death of Charles Weaver
Charles Yardley Weaver
Charles Yardley Weaver was a politician, barrister, justice of the peace and soldier from Alberta, Canada. He held office on both municipal and provincial levels of government...
; he finished second of four candidates as Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
Frederick C. Jamieson reclaimed the seat for Weaver's party.
Roper's lone attempt at federal office took place in the 1935 election
Canadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
, when he ran for the newly-formed Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
in Edmonton East
Edmonton East
Edmonton East is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.The district includes a portion of the city of Edmonton.-Geography:...
; he finished fourth of six candidates as William Samuel Hall
William Samuel Hall
William Samuel Hall was a dentist and a Canadian federal politician.Hall was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Social Credit candidate. He defeated 5 other candidates to win his seat. Hall would die 3 years into his term vacating his seat on January 26, 1938.-External links:*...
took the riding for the Social Credit Party of Canada
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...
.
Roper had joined the CCF at the provincial level as well, and ran under its banner in the 1940 election
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....
, finishing seventh of nineteen candidates on the first ballot and being defeated once again. No CCF members had been elected during that election, but that was about to change.
CCF leader and MLA
On May 4, 1942 Conservative leader David Duggan died, and his Edmonton seat became vacant. Roper was nominated as the CCF's candidate in the ensuing by-election, and came out on top of a five person field. CCF leader Chester RonningChester Ronning
Chester Alvin Ronning, CC, AOE was a Canadian diplomat and politician.Ronning was born in Fangcheng, China, the son of Norwegian Lutheran missionaries, and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1916 with a B.Sc.He returned to China to serve as a missionary from 1922 to 1927 and then returned...
quickly stepped aside to hand the leadership to the party's first MLA.
Elmer Roper would be leader of the CCF for thirteen years, but his tenure as its lone MLA would be considerably shorter: after the 1944 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....
, he was joined in the legislature by Aylmer Liesemer
Aylmer Liesemer
Aylmer "Alymer" "A.J.E" John Eggert Liesemer was a retired politician and teacher in Alberta, Canada.-Early life:Liesemer was born in Didsbury, Alberta in 1905...
of Calgary
Calgary (provincial electoral district)
Calgary was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada that existed from 1905 to 1913 and was recreated from 1921 to 1959. The district returned from one to six members to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
. These two seats would be as high as the CCF would climb during Roper's tenure as its leader.
Both incumbents were re-elected in the 1948 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....
, but the party's share of the vote actually fell from 25% to 19%, and Roper was unable to add any new MLAs to his tiny caucus as Social Credit's stranglehold over the province remained intact. He did get a new MLA after the 1952 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...
- Willingdon's Nick Dushenski
Nick Dushenski
Nick William Dushenski was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1959 sitting with the Co-operative Commonwealth caucus in opposition....
- but this gain was cancelled by Liesemer's defeat. Worse, the CCF's vote fell further, to 14%, and the Alberta Liberal Party
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
doubled its seat count to four, making it clearly the official opposition and leaving the CCF has the third party.
Things would only get worse for Roper. In the 1955 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....
, the CCF's share of the vote reached 8% and the previously dormant Conservatives passed it in the seat count. Moreover, Roper himself lost his seat in Edmonton (although Dusehsnki was returned and Stanley Ruzycki
Stanley Ruzycki
Stanley Nicholas Ruzycki was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1955 to 1959 sitting with the Co-operative Commonwealth caucus in opposition.-Political career:Ruzycki ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1952...
was elected in Vegreville
Vegreville (provincial electoral district)
Vegreville was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1993.-1957 liquor plebiscite:...
). He actually placed third of thirty candidates on the first ballot, but as 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...
's large number of surplus votes was redistributed to the riding's other Social Credit candidates (and James Harper Prowse
James Harper Prowse
James Harper Prowse Jr. , was a serviceman, provincial and federal politician, barrister and solicitor from Canada. Prowse served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1945 to 1959 sitting as an Independent and a Liberal in opposition...
's only slightly smaller surplus was redistributed to other Liberals), Roper fell out of the top seven, where he needed to remain in order to be elected.
Following the election, Roper relinquished the CCF leadership. He would never again seek provincial office.
Municipal politics
In advance of the 1959 municipal electionEdmonton municipal election, 1959
The 1959 municipal election was held October 14, 1959 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
, the city's mayoralty was up for grabs. William Hawrelak
William Hawrelak
William Hawrelak was a politician in Alberta, Canada, the longest-serving mayor in Edmonton's history, and a candidate for election to the Canadian House of Commons.-Early life:...
had resigned in scandal, and the man that the Edmonton City Council
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
had chosen to replace him, Frederick John Mitchell
Frederick John Mitchell
Frederick John Mitchell was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a mayor of Edmonton, and a candidate for election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.-Early life:...
, had decided to return to his aldermanic post rather than contest the mayoral election. Roper chose to contest it, and defeated three candidates (most notably his former legislature colleague James Prowse). He was re-elected in the 1961 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1961
In Alberta, Canada, the 1961 municipal election was held October 18, 1961 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
, handily defeating alderman Ed Leger, but did not seek re-election at the conclusion of his second term. At the age of seventy, he was finished with politics.
Later life, death, and legacy
Elmer Roper retired to Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
in 1975, and died there November 12, 1994. His wife had died in August, just after the couple's eightieth anniversary, and he was survived by two daughters and a son, former Edmonton alderman G Lyall Roper.
He had been made an honorary life member of the Rotary Club in 1928, and had received an honorary doctorate in laws from the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
in 1959. Additionally, Roper Road and Roper Industrial, an Edmonton road and neighbourhood respectively, are named in his honour.
External links
- Edmonton Public Library biography of Elmer Roper
- City of Edmonton biography of Elmer Roper
- History of labour's involvement in Edmonton politics from the Edmonton Bullet
- Edmonton District Labour Council's involvement in Edmonton electoral politics
- Agenda of the City of Edmonton's Naming Committee, May 17 2006