Alexander Cameron Rutherford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Cameron Rutherford (Osgoode, ON February 2, 1857 - June 11, 1941 Edmonton, AB), Canadian politician, the first Premier of Alberta from 1905 to 1910.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Alexander Cameron Rutherford is widely known, as the "architect of the province" and "father of the university" of Alberta, as the province's first Premier. He was famous, for his incredibly strong support of education, and active participation in community affairs. As a long term visionary Alexander Cameron Rutherford was looking forward to Western Canada becoming one of the world's major centres of advanced intellectual, and industrial activity in the context of a British system, of government. Alexander Cameron Rutherford was born, on February 2, 1857, on a farm, near Osgoode, Carleton County, Ontario. He was the son, of James Rutherford and Elizabeth Cameron, whom were members of the Baptist Church of Canada. He was educated, at a local public school, and the Canadian Literary Institute, located in Woodstock, Ontario. In 1881, he graduated from McGill University, in Montreal, receiving both Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees.
Alexander Cameron Rutherford was subsequently called, to the Ontario Bar, in 1885, and practiced law, for ten years, in Kemptville, Ontario, as a junior partner, in the law firm, of Hodgkins, Kidd, and Rutherford. In 1888 he was married, to Mattie Birkett, daughter of William and Elizabeth Birkett, of Ottawa, Ontario. His father-in-law, was a former Canadian Member of Parliament. Alexander Cameron Rutherford and his wife Mattie, had three children: Cecil Alexander Rutherford, Hazel Elizabeth Rutherford, and Marjorie Cameron Rutherford. In 1895, after visiting Edmonton, the previous year, on business, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, and his family, moved to Western Canada, where he established, a thriving law practice, in the Town of Strathcona, in the community of South Edmonton, in the District of Alberta, of the Northwest Territories. After practicing law on his own, for five years, he expanded, by jointly establishing, the firm of Rutherford and Jamieson, in 1899. Notably, from 1896 to 1905, his contribution, to public service, included acting, as the Secretary-Treasurer, of the South Edmonton School Board, and from 1899 to 1906, he became the Secretary-Treasurer of, and Solicitor for, the rapidly growing Town of Strathcona. Following his election, as the President, of the Alberta Liberal Party, in August, 1905, he was subsequently appointed Premier of Alberta, by Lieutenant-Governor George Bulyea, the day after the Province of Alberta, was established. Alexander Cameron Rutherfords' government, was ratified, and sustained, by a large majority, at the 1905 Alberta general election, on the basis of the Provincial Liberal Convention platform, formed in Calgary, on Thursday August 3, 1905. As well as serving, as Premier during the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, was also Provincial Treasurer, and Minister of Education.
[edit] Early life
Alexander Rutherford was born in 1857, on a farm in Carleton County, Ontario. In 1881 he graduated from McGill University with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees. In 1885 he was called to the Ontario Bar, practising at the law firm of Hodgkins, Kidd, and Rutherford. In 1895 he moved to the District of Alberta in western Canada (then still part of the Northwest Territories), where he continued to practice law by opening up his own office at the railhead of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway, then known as South Edmonton. Alexander Rutherford was the first lawyer south of the North Saskatchewan River, an area later to become known as Strathcona (amalgamating with Edmonton in 1912). After the amalgamation, the firm opened a branch office north of the river.
[edit] Law practice
Alexander Cameron Rutherford was joined in the practice of law by Stanley Harwood McCuaig, who articled with the firm, and later married Rutherford's daughter Hazel. That firm, Rutherford McCuaig, continues to operate in Edmonton as one of Alberta's oldest law firms, McCuaig Desrochers[1].
[edit] Northwest Territories MLA
In 1902 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories for Strathcona. Rutherford supported the Government of Premier Frederick Haultain.
[edit] First Premier of Alberta
Rutherford was appointed by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier to lead the temporary government prior to the first general election after the creation of Alberta. His Alberta Liberal Party won a large mandate and swept into power in the new province's fist general election on November 9, 1905.
[edit] Legislation
The Rutherford Liberal Government proceeded with:
- establishing the laws necessary to make the transition, from territorial, to provincial status
- organizing and setting up the new Alberta capital
- building the new Alberta Legislature
- creating the public telephone system - Alberta Government Telephones (AGT); privatized as Telus in 1990
- expanding roads and railways, up to the subarctic regions, including the Yukon, and Northwest Territories
- organizing, and building thousands, of schools, for the K-12 system
- establishing the University of Alberta, as a world class British university
[edit] University of Alberta
Rutherford took particular interest in the education system and rapidly expanded Alberta's public school system. In 1906, he initiated legislation founding the University of Alberta and personally selected the site in Strathcona for the university campus. At the general election, of 1909, the Rutherford Liberal Government was re-elected, with another strong majority, and Alexander Cameron Rutherford continued to serve, as Premier, Provincial Treasurer, and Minister of Education. In early 1910 Alexander Cameron Rutherford bought a lot, near the newly established University of Alberta campus, and, in 1911, built his family, a home, he called "Achnacarry" (now known as Rutherford House) after his ancestral residence, in Scotland.
[edit] Railway Scandal
Although Rutherford's popular government promoted railway and road expansion, and the creation of a public telephone system, he was forced to resign as premier on May 26, 1910, over allegations of conflict of interest in the government's proposals to insure bonds issued by a railway company. The scandal became known as the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway Scandal. Following the Liberal defeat in 1913, Rutherford returned to the practice of law with the now expanded firm, Rutherford, Jamieson, and Grant.
Rutherford was cleared of any wrongdoing, but lost his seat in the legislature in the 1913 election. He later joined the Conservatives, campaigning for them in the 1921 federal election.
[edit] Later Life
Rutherford encouraged his only son, Cecil Alexander Rutherford, to serve with the British Army Artillery as a Second Lieutenant for the duration of World War I while Cecil's wife, Helen Reid Rutherford, lived with the Rutherford famil at Achnacarry, now known as Rutherford House. Cecil served in the artillery with distinction, taking a shrapnel hit to the back of the head under his helmet, narrowly missing the spinal column. Cecil returned to the front lines, after a brief respite, in England. During this time, Alexander Cameron Rutherford served back on the home front, as the Alberta Director of the National Service Commission and immediately after World War I served as a member of the Loan Advisory Committee of the Soldier Settlement Board.
[edit] Associations
Alexander Cameron Rutherford had many concurrent associations, including serving as:
- Senate of the University of Alberta from 1911 to 1927
- President of the Edmonton Mortgage Corporation
- Vice-President of the Great Western Garment (GWG) Factory
- A Member of the Board of Directors of the:
- Canadian National Fire Insurance Company
- Imperial Canadian Trust Company
- Monarch Life Assurance Company
- Great West Permanent Loan Company
- President of the Edmonton Branch, Historical Society of Alberta (1919-41)
- President of the McGill Alumni Association (1922)
[edit] Chancellor
In 1927, at the age of 70, Alexander Cameron Rutherford was appointed Chancellor of the University of Alberta.
[edit] Honours
Alexander Cameron Rutherford's service, to his community, and the Province of Alberta, has been recognized in many ways:
- In 1911, a new elementary school, in Edmonton, was named after him - Rutherford Elementary School[2]
- Alexander Cameron Rutherford believed that a high quality education system was of paramount importance
- In 1951, the first free-standing University of Alberta library was named in his memory - Rutherford Library
- Notably, this was quite a fitting honour, as Alexander Cameron Rutherford was an avid book collector, with a large personal library, in his house, near the University of Alberta campus. Much of his personal collection, was dedicated to Canadian works, including a white leather bound edition, of Canadiana. Recently, the original Rutherford Library, has been expanded in the newest, much larger, modern Rutherford Library North.
- In 1954, a mountain located in Jasper National Park was named after him - Mount Rutherford
Some of Alexander Cameron Rutherford's most treasured honours:
- Honorary President, Edmonton Football Club (1895)
- Patron, Strathcona Curling Club[3] (1902)
- Honorary President of the Strathcona Baseball Club, Curling Club, and Football Club (1903)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, McMaster University (1907)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Toronto (1907)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Alberta (1908)
- King's Counsel (1913)
- Honorary Colonel of the 194th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (1916)
- Honorary Life Member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (1916)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, McGill University (1931)
- King's Jubilee Medal (1935)
- King's Coronation Medal (1937)
- Honorary President of the Canadian Authors' Association[4] (1937)
Alexander Cameron Rutherford passed away, on June 11, 1941, at the age of 84, in Edmonton, Alberta, and is buried, in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, in the Rutherford family plot.
[edit] References
- "A Gentleman of Strathcona - Alexander Cameron Rutherford", Douglas R. Babcock, 1989, The University of Calgary Press, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, ISBN 0-919813-65-8
[edit] External links
| 1st Ministry - Government of Alexander Cameron Rutherford | ||
| Cabinet Posts (3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| New Position | Minister of Education (1905–1910) |
Charles R. Mitchell |
| New Position | Provincial Treasurer (1905–1910) |
Arthur Lewis Sifton |
| New Position | Premier of Alberta (1905–1910) |
Arthur Lewis Sifton |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by New district |
MLA Strathcona, NWT 1902-1905 |
Succeeded by District abolished |
| Preceded by New district |
MLA Strathcona, AB 1905-1913 |
Succeeded by Rob Lougheed |
| Academic Offices | ||
| Preceded by Nicolas Dubois Dominic Beck |
Chancellor of the University of Alberta 1927–1942 |
Succeeded by Frank Ford |
