Harry Bentley (1852–1922) (sometimes written as Henry Bentley) was a politician in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada. He was the city's second and fifth mayor, serving during 1892–1893 and 1896–1898. His great grandson is former Alberta MLA

Jim Dinning James Francis Dinning (born December 4, 1952) is a Canadian Progressive Conservative politician and businessman. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (1986–1997), and now is on the board of directors of several Canadian compa ...

. Bentley also served as president of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce in 1894 and again during 1896–1898. Born in Strathroy, Ontario, Bentley married Margaret Lettice West in 1883. They had three children together and moved to Lethbridge in 1885, where he opened a dry good store in 1885 on the main street in Lethbridge. In fact, he was the first merchant in the settlement. After his predecessor Charles Magrath decided not to seek reelection because of pressure at his company, Bentley—who was then town alderman—was appointed by

acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

as mayor. Most of his term was spent dealing with the local effects of a worldwide

economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economic downturn that is the result of lowered economic activity in one or more major national economies. It is often understood in economics that economic crisis and the following recession ...

. The

North Western Coal and Navigation Company The North Western Coal and Navigation Company, also known as Alberta Railway and Coal Company or Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, was a coal mining company formed in London, England in 1882 by Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, one of Canada's F ...

, one of the area's largest employers was hit with closures and layoffs, and town growth practically ceased. at the end of his second term, Bentley saw interest in local settlement increase and the NWCNC's financial performance improve. Bentley served on the executive committees of the Lethbridge Baseball Club, Lethbridge Lacrosse Club and the Lethbridge Rugby Football Union. He was also chairman of the town's immigration committee. In addition, the land for the first fire hall was purchased from him.

Notes

Mayors of Lethbridge 1852 births 1922 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Alberta {{Alberta-mayor-stub