| Michael Luchkovich | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Vegreville | |
| In office 1926–1935 |
|
| Preceded by | Arthur Moren Boutillier |
| Succeeded by | William Hayhurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 13, 1892 Shamokin, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | April 21, 1973 |
| Political party | United Farmers Co-operative Commonwealth |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Michael Luchkovich (November 13, 1892 Shamokin, Pennsylvania, United States - April 21, 1973) was a teacher, author and Canadian federal politician. He served as a Canada's first Member of Parliament of Ukrainian origin from 1926 to 1935.
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His father immigrated from the Ukraine to Pennsylvania where he worked as a miner and where Michael was born and spent his first ten years. The family then moved to Canada where Michael's father operated a hotel.
Michael Luchkovich graduated high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba and then studied at the University of Calgary where he obtained a political science degree and at the Calgary Normal School where he earned his qualifications as a teacher.[1]
Luchkovich ran as a United Farmers of Alberta candidate and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1926 Canadian federal election.[2] His election made him the first person of Ukrainian descent to be elected to Federal Parliament and he became a national spokesman for Canada's 200,000 Ukrainians speaking against discrimination. He ran for re-election in the 1930 Canadian federal election defeating Liberal challenger Charles Gorden by a 1010 vote plurality to win his second term in office.[3] He was defeated by Social Credit candidate William Hayhurst in the 1935 Canadian federal election.[4]
He was a founding member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and it was a standard-bearer of the new party that he was defeated in the 1935 election.
Luchkovich also was a writer and translator of Ukrainian literature into English and edited Their Land, an anthology of Ukrainian short stories.[1]
He wrote to autobiographical works:
The Michael Luchkovich Scholarships For Career Development is named in his honor and awarded 3 times each year.
An award in Michael Luchkovich's name was created in 1986 and given annually to Alberta parliamentarians of Ukrainian descent who perform exemplary public service.[5]