George Mihalcheon
| George M. Mihalcheon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| In office June 28, 1926 – June 19, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Chornohus |
| Succeeded by | Isidore Goresky |
| Constituency | Whitford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1, 1893 Boian, Bukovina[1] |
| Died | October 2, 1956 (aged 63) Edmonton, Alberta |
| Political party | United Farmers |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Lutzak |
| Occupation | politician, farmer, shopkeeper and teacher |
George M. Mihalcheon (October 1, 1893 – October 2, 1956) was a provincial politician farmer, teacher and shopkeeper from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1926 to 1930 sitting with the United Farmers caucus in government.
Early life
Mihalcheon was born in 1893 in Boian, Bukovina an area now comprising present day Romania. He moved to Alberta with his family in 1901 to the town of Hairy Hill, Alberta. He graduated normal school in 1918 and became a teacher at Boian school in the town of Boian, Alberta. He married Mary Lutzak.[2]
Political career
Mihalcheon ran for the United Farmers nomination in the electoral district of Whitford. He defeated incumbent United Farmers MLA Mike Chornohus and two other contenders to run for the party in the 1926 Alberta general election.[3]
The election was hotly contested between five candidates. Mihalcheon won over 50% of the popular vote on the first count to hold the district for his party. Among the four candidates he defeated was former MLA Andrew Shandro who finished in second place.[4] Michalcheon became the first Alberta MLA of Romanian origin. His multilingual abilities of English, Ukrainian and Romanian are credited with helping him win the election.[2]
Mihalcheon retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the Assembly in 1930. He retired when the Whitford Association asked him to step down fearing that his Romanian heritage might cause the party to lose the district.[2]
Late life
After his political career, Mihalcheon started farming. He also founded a general store.[2]
References
- ↑ Normandin, P.G.; Normandin, A.L. (1929). Guide Parlementaire Canadien. P. G. Normandin. ISSN 0315-6168. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Romanian Immigration". Alberta Community Heritage Foundation. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ↑ "In The Political Arena". Vol XIX No 149 (The Lethbridge Daily Herald). June 7, 1926. p. 1.
- ↑ "Whitford Official Results 1926 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 29, 2010.