Pincher Creek
Alberta electoral district
Defunct provincial electoral district
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of Alberta
District created1905
District abolished1940
First contested1905
Last contested1935

Pincher Creek was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1905 to 1940.[1]

History

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Pincher Creek
Assembly Years Member Party
1st  1905–1909     John Plummer Marcellus Liberal
2nd  1909–1911 David Warnock
 1911–1913     John H.W.S. Kemmis Conservative
3rd  1913–1917
4th  1917–1921
5th  1921–1926     Earle G. Cook United Farmers
6th  1926–1930
7th  1930–1935     Harvey Bossenberry Liberal
8th  1935–1940     Roy Charles Taylor Social Credit
See Pincher Creek-Crowsnest electoral district from 1940-1993
and Cardston electoral district from 1940-1993

The Pincher Creek electoral district was founded as one of the original 25 electoral districts contested in the 1905 Alberta general election upon Alberta joining Confederation in September 1905.

The Pincher Creek electoral district was abolished prior to the 1940 Alberta general election and the territory was redistributed into the Pincher Creek-Crowsnest and Cardston electoral districts.

Electoral history

The first general election held in the Pincher Creek electoral district turned into a hotly contested four way race. Large portions of the population worked as coal miners in the mountains while the foothills provided prime land for cattle ranching.

Former Mayor of Town of Pincher Creek R. O. Allison would unsuccessful contest the 1926 and 1935 Alberta general elections.[2]

Election results

1905

1905 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Plummer Marcellus 550 39.40% –
Conservative Frank A. Sherman 436 31.23% –
Independent John H.W.S. Kemmis 410 29.37% –
Total 1,396 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A – –
Eligible electors / turnout N/A N/A –
Liberal pickup new district.
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1905 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

The Returning Officer for the election was James H. Schofield.[3] The provincial Liberal candidate in the election was local rancher John Marcellus.[4] The provincial Conservatives ran John Kemmis. The third party candidate in the race was Frank Sherman who stood as a Labor candidate representing the United Mine Workers Union.[5] Rounding out the field was Independent candidate Charles Kettles.[6] Kettles was well known for founding the Pincher Creek townsite in 1882 when he worked for the North-West Mounted Police and served as a Department of Indian Affairs employee.[7] He also ran a grocery store C. Kettles & Co.[8] He dropped out of the race in time to have his name stricken off the ballot.[9]

On election night the race between Marcellus and Sherman seesawed back and forth. At one time during the night Marcellus had conceded his defeat as Sherman pulled ahead in first place. However the election turned as the final polls brought in favorable results for Marcellus leading him to a close victory. Kemmis ran a close third through the evening.

1909

1909 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Warnock 560 57.26% 17.86%
Conservative E.J. Mitchell 418 42.74% 11.51%
Total 978 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A – –
Eligible electors / turnout 1,301 75.17% –
Liberal hold Swing 3.18%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1909 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1911 by-election

Alberta provincial by-election, October 31, 1911
Upon the resignation of David Warnock to run for a seat in the House of Commons
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John H.W.S. Kemmis 576 57.26% 14.52%
Liberal J. F. Ross 430 42.74% -14.52%
Total valid votes 1,006 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A – –
Electors / turnout N/A N/A –
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing -7.26%
Source(s)
"By-elections". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 26, 2020.

1913

1913 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John H.W.S. Kemmis 487 53.34% -3.92%
Liberal A. N. Mount 426 46.66% 3.92%
Total 913 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A – –
Eligible electors / turnout 1,053 86.70% 11.53%
Conservative hold Swing 1.96%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1913 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1917

1917 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John H.W.S. Kemmis 496 36.47% -16.87%
Liberal Thomas Hammond 448 32.94% -13.72%
Nonpartisan League J. E. Hillier 416 30.59% –
Total 1,360 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A – –
Eligible electors / turnout 1,769 76.88% -9.83%
Conservative hold Swing -1.58%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1917 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1921

1921 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Farmers Earle G. Cook 572 41.81% –
Liberal Harvey Bossenberry 471 34.43% 1.49%
Independent A. E. Cox 192 14.04% -16.55%
Independent Donald Randolph McIvor 133 9.72% -20.87%
Total 1,368 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A – –
Eligible electors / turnout N/A N/A –
United Farmers gain from Conservative Swing 1.93%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1921 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1926

1926 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes
1st count		 % Votes
final count		 ±%
United Farmers Earle G. Cook 542 33.77% 720 -8.04%
Liberal Harvey Bossenberry 592 36.88% 668 2.45%
Conservative R. O. Allison 471 29.35% – –
Total 1,605 – – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 37 – – –
Eligible electors / turnout 1,868 87.90% – –
United Farmers hold Swing -5.25%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1926 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Instant-runoff voting requires a candidate to receive a plurality (greater than 50%) of the votes.
As no candidate received a plurality of votes, the bottom candidate was eliminated and their 2nd place votes were applied to both other candidates until one received a plurality.

1930

1930 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harvey Bossenberry 959 51.04% 14.15%
United Farmers Earle G. Cook 920 48.96% 15.19%
Total 1,879 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 38 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 2,424 79.08% -8.82%
Liberal gain from United Farmers Swing 2.60%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1930 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1935

1935 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Roy Charles Taylor 1,214 51.66% –
Liberal Harvey Bossenberry 528 22.47% -28.57%
Conservative R. O. Allison 312 13.28% –
United Farmers Earle G. Cook 296 12.60% -36.37%
Total 2,350 – –
Rejected, spoiled and declined 65 – –
Eligible electors / turnout 2,731 88.43% 9.34%
Social Credit gain from Liberal Swing 13.56%
Source(s)
Source: "Pincher Creek Official Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Election results for Pincher Creek". abheritage.ca. Wayback Machine: Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Clow, Caitlin (November 28, 2016). "Echoes from the past". Pincher Creek Echo. Pincher Creek, AB. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  3. ^ "Territories Elections Ordinance; Province of Alberta". Vol VI No. 12. The Rocky Mountain Echo. October 30, 1905. p. 4.
  4. ^ "John Marcellus". Pioneer Profiles. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
  5. ^ Brown, George; David M. Hayne; Francess G. Halpenny; Ramsay Cook (1966). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto Press. pp. 950. ISBN 0-8020-3998-7.
  6. ^ "Charles Kettles". Vol VI No. 8. Rocky Mountain Echo. October 5, 1905. p. 2.
  7. ^ Donald Malcolm Wilson. "Pincher Creek, Alberta : History".
  8. ^ "C. Kettles & Co. Ad". Vol VI No. 13. The Rocky Mountain Echo. November 6, 1905. p. 4.
  9. ^ "Notice To the Electors of Pincher Creek". Vol VI No. 13. The Rocky Mountain Echo. November 6, 1905. p. 4.

Further reading

External links

49°31′N 113°58′W / 49.51°N 113.96°W / 49.51; -113.96

Former Alberta provincial electoral districts
Elections and referendums in Alberta
Category