Hans Wight

Last updated
Hans Enoch Wight
Wight H.png
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
August 22, 1935 –September 2, 1937
Preceded by Andrew Smeaton
Succeeded by Peter Campbell
Constituency Lethbridge
Personal details
BornJuly 29, 1889
Hyrum, Utah
DiedOctober 12, 1965(1965-10-12) (aged 76)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Political party Social Credit
Occupationpolitician

Hans Enoch Wight was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1937 sitting with the Social Credit caucus in government.

Alberta Province of Canada

Alberta is a province of Canada. With an estimated population of 4,067,175 as of 2016 census, it is Canada's fourth most populous province and the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces. Its area is about 660,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi). Alberta and its neighbour Saskatchewan were districts of the Northwest Territories until they were established as provinces on September 1, 1905. The premier is Jason Kenney as of April 30, 2019.

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Single house of Legislature of Alberta

The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the Alberta Legislature in Alberta, Canada. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly consists of 87 members, elected first past the post from single-member electoral districts. Bills passed by the legislature are given royal assent by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta.

Contents

Political career

Wight ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature as a Social Credit candidate in the electoral district of Lethbridge in the 1935 Alberta general election. He defeated incumbent Andrew Smeaton and two other candidates with a landslide majority to pick up the seat for his party. [1]

1935 Alberta general election

The 1935 Alberta general election was the eighth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 22, 1935, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The newly founded Social Credit Party of Alberta won a sweeping victory, unseating the 14-year government of the United Farmers of Alberta. It was one of only four times that Alberta has changed governments.

Andrew Smeaton was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1926 to 1935 sitting with the Dominion Labor caucus in opposition.

The Lethbridge Herald broke a story on August 25, 1937, saying that Wight was imminently to resign his seat. On the same front page, the paper also broke the news that William Chant was to leave the Social Credit caucus. [2] The newspaper had come under attack by Social Credit supporters, forcing the paper to issue a news story standing by its claims the next day. Wight had denied that he had given information about any plan to resign. [3]

William Chant Canadian politician

William Neelands Chant was a farmer and political figure in Alberta and British Columbia. He represented Camrose in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1940 as a Social Credit and then Independent member and Victoria City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1953 to 1972 as a Social Credit member.

Seven days later, Wight made his formal announcement of resignation to the media on September 2, 1937, giving as his reason acceptance of a job as an engineer at a department store in Calgary. He sent his resignation letter to speaker Peter Dawson by mail. [4] Wight's resignation caused a controversy as more than a week after Wight announced his resignation the government was claiming that he hadn't resigned. [5] After weeks of turmoil and charges of grandstanding and claims that the government was afraid of losing a by-election, the government finally announced that it had accepted Wight's resignation on September 14, 1937. [6]

Calgary City in Alberta, Canada

Calgary is a city in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated at the confluence of the Bow River and the Elbow River in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, about 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The city anchors the south end of the Statistics Canada-defined urban area, the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor.

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References

  1. ↑ "Lethbridge Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Hans E. Wight M.L.A. Plans To Resign". Vol XXX No 216. The Lethbridge Herald. August 25, 1937. p. 1.
  3. ↑ "Wight Denies Resignation Intimation". Vol XXX No 217. The Lethbridge Herald. August 26, 1937. p. 1.
  4. ↑ "Resignation Notice Has Not Been Received". Vol XXX No 223. The Lethbridge Herald. September 2, 1937. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Political Situation In Local Constituency Presents Puzzle". Vol XXX No 229. The Lethbridge Herald. September 10, 1937. p. 11.
  6. ↑ "Wight Has Resigned". Vol XXX No 232. The Lethbridge Herald. September 14, 1937. p. 7.
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