Robert Brett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert G. Brett (born 1851; died September 16, 1929) was a politician and doctor in the Northwest Territories and later Alberta, Canada.

Robert Brett was well educated, attending the University of Toronto and attaining his medical degree. He attended various schools in the United States for his post graduate work.

He was married in 1873 and had two children. In 1880 he moved to Manitoba and help found the Manitoba Medical College and sat as a board member on the University of Manitoba.

In 1883 he moved to Banff, Northwest Territories. He worked as a doctors at the Banff Sanitarium which he founded.

In 1888 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories. He became a de facto leader of the government as Chairman of the Lieutenant-Governor's Advisory Council. Robert Brett had a rivalry with longtime member Frederick Haultain.

In 1898 Robert Brett became the first Leader of the Official Opposition during a time in which the Territories Legislature made a transition to party politics. In the 1902 election he unexpectedly dropped out of the race, a move that hurt the Northwest Territories Liberal Party.

When Alberta became a province in 1905 he ran in Banff for the Conservative Party but was defeated.

He served as a senior surgeon in Banff at Brett Hospital. In 1909 he became President of the Alberta Conservative Party. During his time in the early 20th century he served on a number of boards in Alberta. He was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1915 and served two terms.

He died on September 16, 1929 in Calgary, Alberta; he was buried in Banff.

[edit] External links

• Robert Brett Biography: Alberta Heritage

Government offices
Preceded by George H. V. Bulyea	Lieutenant Governor of Alberta 1915-1925	Succeeded by William Egbert
Political offices
Preceded by New District	MLA Red Deer 1888-1891	Succeeded by Francis Wilkins
Preceded by New District	MLA Banff 1891-1899	Succeeded by Arthur Lewis Sifton

	Lieutenant-Governors of Alberta
Bulyea | Brett | Egbert | Walsh | Primrose | Bowen | Bowlen | Page | MacEwan | Steinhauer | Lynch-Staunton | Hunley | Towers | Olson | Hole | Kwong