Harry William Hays, (December 25, 1909 – May 4, 1982) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, 27th Mayor of Calgary, Cabinet minister in the government of Lester Pearson, and Senator from Alberta.

Personal life

Harry Hays, Calgary, Alberta pa-3131-192

Born in

Carstairs Carstairs (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Tarrais'') is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Carstairs is located east of the county town of Lanark and the West Coast Main Line runs through the village. The village is served by Carstairs r ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Hays had several careers related to agriculture. He was an

auctioneer An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition exi ...

, rancher and breeder as well as a radio broadcaster. He was a founding member and president of the Alberta Poultry Breeders' Association and also served as president of the Alberta Holstein Breeders' Association. He led the Canadian Swine Breeders during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

when it initiated the "Bacon for Britain" campaign of increased production as part of the war effort. In the 1950s, he pioneered exporting cattle by airplane allowing the Canadian industry to develop new markets in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Hays is the creator and namesake of the

Hays Converter The Hays Converter is a breed of cattle native specifically to Alberta, Canada. Named for Harry Hays, the agriculturalist and politician who developed the breed, it was the first pure breed of cattle created in Canada. Work on breeding the Hays Con ...

beef cattle breed. Harry Hays is credited with starting the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...

pancake breakfast tradition. In 1934 Hays married Muriel Biglund and had one son

Daniel Hays Daniel Hays may refer to: * Dan Hays (born 1939), Canadian politician * Daniel Hays (New York politician) (1833–1913), American glove manufacturer and politician * Daniel P. Hays (1854–1923), Jewish-American lawyer from New York {{hndis ...

, who was a former member of the Senate of Canada appointed in 1984 where he served as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

and Leader of the Opposition.

Political life

Mayor of Calgary

While Hays had never run for political office prior to 1959, it was generally believed that he made his 1959 run at the urging of business colleagues who were concerned about the City of Calgary's rising debt, which would reach $82 million in 1960. In 1959 Hays would sell his dairy farm on the southern outskirts of the city to developers for $1 million, the land would eventually form the community of Haysboro. Hays was elected the 27th

Mayor of Calgary This is a list of mayors of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. List of Mayors of Calgary See also *List of Calgary municipal elections *Calgary City Council Notes References SourcesBiographies of Calgary's mayors from the City of Calgary web pa ...

in the October 1959 Calgary municipal election. Hays defeated popular incumbent Mayor

Donald Hugh MacKay Donald Hugh Mackay (March 22, 1914 – January 26, 1979) was the 26th Mayor of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Early life He spent his youth in Calgary and Drumheller, receiving most of his public school education in Drumheller. In the early 1930s, Ma ...

following the damning report from the Turcotte Inquiry which concluded MacKay had used his position as Mayor for improper personal gain. Turcotte would note that MacKay "derived a direct improper advantage through his position as mayor". Hays would be re-elected for a second term in the 1961 Calgary municipal election. Harry Hays resigned effective June 30, 1963,

Grant MacEwan John Walter Grant MacEwan (August 12, 1902 – June 15, 2000) was a Canadian farmer, professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislat ...

appointed as Mayor by Council and sworn on July 3, 1963. During his time as Mayor, it was noted that Hays quickly gained the confidence of Council, city commissioners, the press and public, which made him an attractive candidate for Pearson's Liberals. Hays campaigned on more efficiency in government, and the creation of a robust business climate. For his 1961 re-election, Hays made good on his election promise to reduce debt, claiming he had lowered the per capita debt by $11. Following pressure by Hays directed to the Canadian Pacific Railway regarding a lack of development on the downtown rail right-of-way, the CPR would dispatch employee and future City of Calgary Mayor Rod Sykes to work with Hays to reach a solution. In June 1962 Sykes and Hays would announce CPR led development into a two-block project east of the

Palliser Hotel The Fairmont Palliser, formerly known as the Palliser Hotel, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain. The historic hotel (1914) is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta at 133 9th Avenue SW adjacent to the Calgary Tower ...

. Hays did not inform his colleagues on council of the announcement, besides Alderman Jack Leslie, and would be censured by in a following council meeting. Despite the rebuke by his peers, Hays was defiant noting "You will be getting these projects from me as long as I am in the chair (Mayor)", to which his fellow councillors reacted by capitulation to the comments, recognizing the power and influence Hays held. The CPR redevelopment scheme would eventually fail to materialize by June 1964. Harry Hays would also prove to be an ardent supporter of the Calgary Municipal Airport and its continued growth. Hays would lead a delegation to Ottawa to lobby the

Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

and

Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

George Hees George Harris Hees (June 17, 1910 – June 11, 1996) was a Canadian politician and businessman. Background Born in Toronto, Hees earned a playboy image during his youth (nicknamed Gorgeous George), but then became a stalwart member of the Prog ...

to provide the Airport with official "International Status". The federal government did not agree with the request, but as a compromise renamed the passenger terminal from "Calgary Municipal Airport" to "Calgary International Airport". Public and council support ensured the remaining area of the airport including the runway would remain called "McCall Field" after Calgary aviator and

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

Fred McCall.

Federal politics

Hays was recruited by Lester Pearson to run for the Liberals in the 1963 federal election in Calgary South, defeating Progressive Conservative opponent, current Aldermen, and future Calgary Mayor Jack Leslie. Hays would be the only Liberal Member of Parliament elected in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. At the time, Calgary South was considered a conservative stronghold and Hays would have a difficult contest against his conservative opponent Leslie. Hays was able to garner significant financial support through his 60-person-strong "Citizens for Hays Committee", which included Aldermen Grant MacEwan and P.N.R. Morrison, and several prominent businessmen including Carl Nickle,

James K. Gray James Kenneth Gray O.C., A.O.E. was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in 1933. He was educated at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Canada. He came to Calgary in 1956 to pursue a career in Alberta's energy sector. In 1973, he co-founded Canadian Hunt ...

, Harry Cohen, Jack Pierce, and Peter Rule. On April 5, just three days prior to the federal election, Hays would announce an agreement with CPR for a "$35 Million Face-Lift for Calgary" which would result in "a rebuilt downtown within two decades." Hays' opponent Jack Leslie would later admit to seeing this announcement as a political ploy. Upon his election Hays would join Pearson's cabinet as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

. Hays was often absent from the House and initially continued to serve as Calgary's mayor after his election to parliament. He also continued his work as an auctioneer as well as his volunteer duties for the Rotary Club. Hays had little formal education and was popular for his down to earth manner of living and talking and often swore and used poor grammar and colourful expressions. He described his agricultural policy by saying "We want a flush-toilet, not an outhouse, farm economy for Canada". However, some of his views were unpopular with farmers, such as his opposition to farm subsidies. He advocated a minimum guaranteed income for farmers and a system of marketing boards. During his tenure as minister the Dairy Commission Act was introduced establishing an agency to purchase, store and market dairy products. He was also responsible for the Farm Machinery Syndicate Credit Act which extended loans to farmers to buy machinery co-operatively. Journalist Walter Stewart once wrote of Hays that "No minister seems more inept inside Parliament and few get so much done outside it." Harry-Hays-1963

Hays also established the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

and was responsible for expanding crop insurance and introducing a national farm accounting system. Hays and Tory

Alvin Hamilton Francis Alvin George Hamilton, (March 30, 1912June 29, 2004) was a Canadian politician. Hamilton led the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan from 1949 until he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1957 general election ...

were bitter rivals with Hamilton denigrating Hays' efforts regularly. Hays once challenged Hamilton to prove he could beat Hays in a cow milking contest but the competition never came to pass. Hays was defeated in his attempt to retain his seat in the 1965 federal election by Progressive Conservative candidate and two-term Calgary Aldermen Ray Ballard by a margin of 115 votes. Hays loss can be attributed to the limited popularity of the Liberal government in Alberta, however, Hays was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1966 on the advice of Pearson and served on the Senate's agriculture committee for a number of years. In 1980 he co-chaired the special joined committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the

Canadian Constitution The Constitution of Canada (french: Constitution du Canada) is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents ar ...

and was an advocate of the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (french: Charte canadienne des droits et libertés), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part ...

and of reducing the Senate's power to veto legislation approved by the House of Commons.

Later life

He died in office in 1982 following heart surgery.

Honours

*The federal building in downtown Calgary at 220 4 Ave SE, the Harry Hays Building, is named in his honour. The building is an 8-story, 671,500 square foot building covering an entire block next to the

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

, designed by Chandler Kennedy and completed in 1978. *The provincial electoral district

Calgary-Hays Calgary-Hays is a provincial electoral district mandated to return one member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada using the first past the post method of voting. The riding was formed in 2004, carved out of the Calgary-Shaw electoral ...

located in Southern Calgary is named in his honour. *The community of Haysboro in Calgary, was built on land Harry Hays sold in 1959.

References

Sources

Notes

External links

Biography of Hays
at the Department of Agriculture * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Harry 1909 births 1982 deaths Mayors of Calgary Canadian senators from Alberta Canadian farmers Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Carstairs, Alberta Calgary city councillors 20th-century Canadian politicians