Ernest Henry Starr (1890 – November 10, 1981) was a municipal level politician from

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, Canada.

Early life

Starr was born in Caerphilly,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. He served with the Imperial Army, Medical Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

(1914–1918) in

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Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

and the

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. After the war he became a member of the

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(Alberta No.1) Branch. Starr arrived in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population ...

in 1920. He founded and for many years operated Starr's Ambulance Service. Ernest attempted provincial politics in 1934, running as a Progressive Labour Party of Alberta candidate in a January 15, 1934 by-election in the

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

electoral district. He finished last in the first count. Under the STV rules in effect at the time, he was eliminated on the second count. He lost his nomination deposit.Official results report, Provincial Archives of Alberta

Municipal political career

Ernest began a long career on Calgary City Council in 1940, when he was elected as a city Alderman for the first time. He served a total of twenty-one years between four broken periods from 1941 to 1966. After his career at city hall he served as a political advisor for alderman

Sue Higgins Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits islan ...

Second try at provincial seat

Ernest made one more attempt at running for provincial politics, running for the Conservative's in Calgary South East electoral district, in the 1963 provincial election. He finished second to

Arthur J. Dixon Arthur Johnson Dixon CM (December 1, 1919 – February 5, 2007) was a real estate and insurance agent, and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1975 sitting with the Social Credit caucus in government and opposition ...

the Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly.

Other public involvements

Starr was active in the community. He sat on the

Calgary Board of Education Calgary School District No. 19 or the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is the public school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As a public system, the CBE is required to accept any students who meet age and residency requirements, regardless of ...

, was a member of the Lions Club of Calgary and a Serving Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He later moved to

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

where he died at the age of 91.

Legacy

The Ernie Starr hockey arena in Calgary, located in the community of Forest Lawn, was named in his honor.

References

External links

City of Calgary Alderman Biographies, Page 117
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Ernest Calgary city councillors Canadian people of Welsh descent 1890 births 1981 deaths Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta candidates in Alberta provincial elections British emigrants to Canada