Edward Milton Culliton, (April 9, 1906 – March 14, 1991) was a member of

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

and Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. Born in

East Grand Forks East Grand Forks (also known as EGF) is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,176 at the 2020 Census, making it the largest community in Polk County. It is located in the Red River Valley region along the east ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

, he grew up in

Elbow, Saskatchewan Elbow ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Loreburn No. 254 and Census Division No. 11. Elbow was founded in 1909, near what is now Lake Diefenbaker. It is 8 km nort ...

, and earned an arts degree from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

in 1926 and a law degree in 1928. In 1935, he was elected as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of the Saskatchewan Legislature representing the constituency of

Gravelbourg Gravelbourg () is a small multicultural town in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located just west of the Wood River at the junction of provincial Highway 43 and Highway 58, approximately 125 kilometres from Moose Jaw, Swift Curre ...

and was re-elected in 1938. He served as Provincial Secretary from 1938 to 1941. In 1941, Culliton resigned to serve with the Canadian Army. He retained his seat in the legislature as a Minister without portfolio. During his absence, the Liberal administration was defeated by the C.C.F. in 1944. Returning from the war, he returned to his law practice. He ran for the leadership of the Liberal party in 1946, losing to Walter A. Tucker. He was elected again in 1948 as an MLA. From 1951 to 1962 he was a Justice of the

Saskatchewan Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan (SKCA) is a Canadian appellate court. Jurisdiction and structure The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal is the highest court in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. There are 8 official judicial positions, incl ...

and from 1962 until 1981 was Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. From 1965 to 1968, he was Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan. Culliton is regarded as one of the great "what-might have-beens" of Saskatchewan politics. After the election of the

social democratic Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialistThe foll ...

(North America's first socialist government) in the 1944 provincial election,

leader

William John Patterson William John Patterson (May 13, 1886 – June 10, 1976) was a Liberal politician and the sixth premier of Saskatchewan from 1935 to 1944. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 1921 election. He succeeded Jame ...

resigned.

Walter Adam Tucker Walter Adam Tucker (March 11, 1899 – September 19, 1990) was a Canadian politician. Born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Tucker earned his BA from the University of Manitoba and a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan.Yazinowski, Dw ...

won the leadership over the urbane Culliton, a moderate who could have well appealed better to voters during subsequent elections. Culliton left politics and chaired the committee overseeing the province's 50th anniversary celebration in 1955. As a judge, he articulated the four factors to be considered in sentencing: deterrence, rehabilitation, punishment and protection of the public. In 1981, he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

. In 1988, he was awarded the

Saskatchewan Order of Merit The Saskatchewan Order of Merit (french: Ordre du Mérite de la Saskatchewan) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet und ...

. He was made a Knight Commander of the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

in 1973. In 1974, he was inducted as a builder into the

Canadian Curling Hall of Fame The Canadian Curling Hall of Fame was established with its first inductees in 1973. It is operated by Curling Canada, the governing body for curling in Canada, in Orleans, Ontario. The Hall of Fame selection committee meets annually to choose induc ...

. In 1939, he married Katharine Hector.

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Culliton, E.M. 1906 births 1991 deaths People from East Grand Forks, Minnesota American emigrants to Canada Chancellors of the University of Saskatchewan Companions of the Order of Canada Members of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit Judges in Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Canadian Roman Catholics University of Saskatchewan College of Law alumni