Floyd Albin Johnson

Floyd Albin Johnson (1908 – 1974)^[1] was a Canadian politician who was the last leader of the Alberta Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1957 until 1962.

Johnson was born in South Dakota, immigrating to Canada with his family when he was 12 and spending the rest of his youth on the family's homestead in Wetaskiwin where he became involved with the United Farmers of Alberta. As an adult, he was a carpenter by trade and studied architecture, ultimately becoming a building contractor and president of Dicconson, Johnson and Company, a contracting firm specializing in building housing which he co-founded in 1945 after being involved with construction projects in the north during World War II.^[2]

He was elected leader of the Alberta CCF in 1957,^[3] succeeding Elmer Roper,^[2] and led the party into the 1959 provincial election^[2] in which it was shut out of the Alberta legislature, losing the two seats it held going into the election. He remained leader until the founding of the CCF's successor, the Alberta New Democratic Party in 1962.^[4] Johnson sought the leadership of the new party at its first leadership convention held on January 27, 1963 but withdrew before balloting began' Neil Reimer was elected leader.^[5]

He joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation at its founding in 1932^[2] and stood for office in federal and provincial elections in the 1950s and in the 1960s for the CCF's successor, the New Democratic Party of Canada. Johnson stood as a candidate for the Alberta CCF in Edmonton in the 1952 and 1955 provincial elections and, as party leader, in Dunvegan in 1959 but was defeated in each attempt receiving 500, 459 and 383 votes respectively. He also ran as a candidate in federal elections standing for the CCF in Edmonton—Strathcona in the 1953 and 1957 federal elections coming in fourth place both times with 2,182 and 2,434 votes, respectively, and for the New Democratic Party of Canada in Acadia (Alberta) in the 1962 and 1963 federal elections, again coming in fourth place on each attempt with 1,021 and 840 votes, respectively.^[6] Johnson also ran, unsuccessfully, as a school trustee candidate on the Better Education Association ticket in the 1961 Edmonton civic election.

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