William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as
Bible Bill for his religious preaching, was a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and
Social CreditThe Social Credit Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
Premier of
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
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 on a farm near
KippenThe Municipality of Huron East is located in Huron County, Ontario. It was formed in 2001 as an amalgamation of the former Grey, McKillop and Tuckersmith townships with the town of Seaforth and village of Brussels due to an Ontario-wide local government restructuring imposed by the government of...
,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
to Louisa (nee Pepper) and William Aberhart. His parents were members of the Presbyterian church where William received his early Sunday School Training. He attended a local public school and several colleges, receiving teacher's training. In 1911, he earned a
Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
degree from Queen's University in
Kingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, where Lake Ontario runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands begin.Kingston is the county seat of Frontenac County...
.
Aberhart taught public school in several areas in Southern Ontario, including
WinghamWingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron Ontario, which is located in Huron County. Wingham became part of North Huron in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation on the former township of East Wawanosh, the village of Blyth, and the town of Wingham.Wingham...
and
BrantfordBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. This single-tier municipality is geographically within Brant County and they are part of the same census division, but Brantford is municipally distinct from it...
, 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 ScofieldCyrus Ingerson Scofield was an American theologian, minister and writer.-Biography:Cyrus Scofield was born in Lenawee County, Michigan, but during the American Civil War he served for a year as a private in the 7th Tennessee Infantry, C.S.A.. By 1866 he was in St. Louis, Missouri working in his...
. He had been introduced to this system while attending a men's Bible Class at Zion Presbyterian, taught by Wiiliam Nichol, an elderly physician.
In 1910, Aberhart accepted a position as principal of Alexandra School in
CalgaryCalgary is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada.The Calgary census metropolitan area is the third most diverse in Canada in terms of visible minorities after Toronto and Vancouver when considering only CMAs with population greater than 200,000...
, 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. Although seeds of his interest in the
BaptistA Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model...
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 CanadaCanada was hit hard by the Great Depression. Between 1929 and 1939, the gross national product dropped 40% . Unemployment reached 27% at the depth of the Depression in 1933. Many businesses closed, as corporate profits of $396 million in 1929 turned into losses of $98 million in 1933...
, a time which was especially harsh on Albertan and Saskatchewan farmers. Particularly, he was drawn to the
Social CreditSocial Credit is described by its originator, C. H. Douglas , as "the policy of a philosophy". Douglas called his philosophy "practical Christianity". This philosophy is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing the fields of economics, political science, history, accounting, and physics...
theories of Major
C. H. DouglasMajor C. H. Douglas MIMechE, MIEE, , was a British engineer and pioneer of the Social Credit economic reform movement.-Education and engineering career:...
, a British engineer. From 1932 to 1935, Aberhart lobbied for the governing political party, the
United Farmers of AlbertaThe United Farmers of Alberta is an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. UFA operates 36 farm and ranch supply stores in Alberta, and over 100 cardlock and bulk fuel stations in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.-Founding:UFA was founded in 1909 as a...
, to adopt these theories, but it is doubtful that Aberhart fully understood the theories. 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 AlbertaThe Social Credit Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
, which won the
1935 provincial electionThe 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....
by a landslide with over 54% of the popular vote.
The Social Credit Party remained in power in the province until the
1971 electionThe Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, though it moved away from Douglas' monetary theories after Aberhart's death in 1943. Aberhart served as
Premier of AlbertaThe Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Ed Stelmach. He became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
,
Minister of EducationAs with any Canadian province, the Alberta Legislature has exclusive authority to make laws respecting education. Since 1905 the Legislature has used this capacity to continue the model of locally elected public and separate school boards which originated prior to 1905, as well as to create and/or...
and, starting in 1937,
Attorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.-Usage:The term has traditionally...
during his tenure with the party.
His government was unable to implement much of the party platform since the
social creditSocial Credit is described by its originator, C. H. Douglas , as "the policy of a philosophy". Douglas called his philosophy "practical Christianity". This philosophy is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing the fields of economics, political science, history, accounting, and physics...
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. BowenJohn Campbell Bowen was a clergyman and was the longest-serving Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta in the history of the province....
refused to give
Royal AssentThe granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. While the power to withhold Royal Assent was once exercised often, it is exceedingly rare in the modern, democratic...
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 ActThe Accurate News and Information Act was a statute in Alberta, Canada. It was passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1937 at the instigation of William Aberhart's Social Credit government. Aberhart and the Social Credit League had had a stormy relationship with the press since before...
, would have forced newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial
cabinetA Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or Executive Committee.- Overview :...
objected to. All three bills were later declared unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court of CanadaThe Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system...
and the
Judicial Committee of the Privy CouncilThe Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833. It is also the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the UK overseas territories, and the British Crown dependencies...
.
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 electionThe 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....
. 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 an orthodox
financial institutionIn financial economics, a financial institution is an institution that provides financial services for its clients or members. Probably the most important financial service provided by financial institutions is acting as financial intermediaries. Most financial institutions are highly regulated by...
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. Although considered radical, Aberhart's ideology was also influenced by right-wing figures such as Father Coughlin and
Henry FordHenry Ford was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents...
.
Legacy
The Aberhart Centre, a long-term medical care centre in Edmonton, Alberta, is named in his honour, as is
William Aberhart High SchoolWilliam Aberhart High School is a public senior high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which teaches grades 10, 11, and 12. It is operated by the Calgary Board of Education. William Aberhart High School is located at 3009 Morley Trail NW...
in Calgary.
Electoral record
| 1940 Alberta general election 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....
results (CalgaryCalgary 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...
) |
Turnout N.A. |
|
>
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
Andrew Davison Andrew Davison was a Canadian politician.-Early life:Davison was born in 1886 in Moneymore, County Londonderry, Ireland. He arrived in Alberta in 1895 and received his education in both Edmonton and Calgary.Prior to entering politics, Mr...
|
12,465 |
27.1%
|
Social Credit |
William Aberhart |
12,122 |
26.4%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
James Mahaffey |
3,645 |
7.9%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
John J. Bowlen John James Bowlen was a Canadian rancher, farmer, provincial politician and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.-External links:*...
|
3,447 |
7.5%
|
CCF The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
|
Frederick J. White |
2,846 |
6.2%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
Joseph Tweed Shaw Joseph Tweed Shaw was a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1921 to 1925 as an independent Member of Parliament , and later became leader of the Alberta Liberal Party....
|
2,685 |
5.8%
|
Social Credit |
Frederic Anderson |
1,939 |
4.2%
|
Social Credit |
Edith Gostick Edith Gostick was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. She served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as a represented from the electoral district of Calgary from 1935 to 1940.-Political career:...
|
1,605 |
3.5%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
Norman D. Dingle |
1,480 |
3.2%
|
Social Credit |
Mrs. Howitt D. Tarves |
1,386 |
3.0%
|
CCF The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
|
Robert T. Alderman |
1,298 |
2.8%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
Harry Pryde |
576 |
1.3%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
Douglas V. Mitchell |
251 |
0.5%
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
James M. Moodie |
169 |
0.4% |
| 1935 by-election results (Okotoks-High River) |
Turnout N/A |
| Affiliation |
Candidate |
Votes |
%
|
Social CreditThe Social Credit Party of Alberta is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
|
William Aberhart |
Acclaimed |
Further reading
- Barr, John J. The Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of Social Credit in Alberta (1971);
- Bell, Edward. Social Classes and Social Credit. (1993)
- 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
- Elliott, David R. and Iris Miller. Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart (1987); sees Aberhart as a charismatic, left-wing fascist
- Finkel, Alvin. The Social Credit Phenomenon in Alberta (1989).
- 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