| Michael "Mike" Maccagno | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| In office June 29, 1955 – May 27, 1968 |
|
| Preceded by | Harry Lobay |
| Succeeded by | Damase Bouvier |
| Constituency | Lac La Biche |
| Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta | |
| In office 1964–1967 |
|
| Preceded by | 5 year vacancy, (last Grant MacEwan) |
| Succeeded by | Peter Lougheed |
| Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party | |
| In office 1964–1966 |
|
| Preceded by | Dave Hunter |
| Succeeded by | Adrian Berry |
| In office 1966–1968 |
|
| Preceded by | Adrian Berry |
| Succeeded by | John T. Lowery |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1914 |
| Died | November 25, 2000 |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Occupation | businessman, politician |
Michael "Mike" Maccagno (July 15, 1914 - November 25, 2000) was an provincial level politician from Alberta Canada. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1955 until he resigned in 1968. He twice lead the Alberta Liberal Party and became the first, and so far only, Italian-Canadian to lead a major political party in Canada.
Maccagno ran for a seat to the Alberta legislature in the 1955 provincial election as a candidate for the Alberta Liberals in the electoral district of Lac La Biche. He ran in a straight fight against incumbent Harry Lobay and ended up winning the district by a margin of less than 100 votes.[1]
He would run for a second term in office in the 1959 provincial election. He faced two other candidates and despite losing some of his popular vote he was able to retain his seat.[2] Maccagno was the only Liberal to win a seat in that election.
Maccagno would run for a third term in the 1963 Alberta general election. He would keep his seat in a hotly contested race against four other candidates. The vote among the challenging candidates was heavily divided, while Maccagno managed to slightly increase his.[3]
Liberal leader Dave Hunter resigned after failing to win his seat. Maccagno became interim leader of the Alberta Liberals as well as Leader of the Official Opposition Leader. He became the first Italian Canadian to become head of a major political party in Canada.[4] In 1966 Calgary Alderman Adrian Berry was chosen as Liberal leader, but resigned shortly after leaving Maccagno to resume the leadership.
Maccagno lead his party into the 1967 Alberta general election. Province wide the party lost over 8% of its popular vote from the last election. It did however pickup a new seat. The Liberals became the third party after the Progressive Conservatives under Peter Lougheed surged in the Assembly with six seats. In his district Maccagno faced Lobay again and another candidate. He managed to increase his popular vote from 1963 and was re-elected easily.[5]
Maccagno resigned his seat in the Alberta legislature on May 27, 1968 to run for a seat to the Canadian House of Commons. He ran for the federal Liberals in the electoral district of Athabasca in the 1968 federal election. He ran in a hotly contested race against two other candidates but was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Paul Yewchuk, finishing second losing by about 1,200 votes.[6] After the election he was subsequently appointed to the National Parole Board.[7]
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