James Alexander Calder (September 17, 1868 – July 20, 1956) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

politician.

Biography

Born in Oxford County,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, he received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

in 1888. He was a teacher and principal, before being elected to the

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 ...

for the riding of South Regina in the 1905 provincial election. A Liberal, he was re-elected in a 1908 by-election and in the 1912 election. From 1905 to 1912, he was the Minister of

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, Provincial Treasurer, and Minister of Railways. The rural village of Calder, SK was named after him when it was incorporated in 1911. From 1916 to 1917, he was the President of the Executive Council, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Highways. He was elected as a Unionist candidate to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

for the riding of

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the List of cities in Saskatchewan, fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Re ...

in the 1917 federal election. He held many ministerial positions including

Minister of Immigration and Colonization Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, Minister of Agriculture (Acting), Minister of Militia and Defence (Acting), President of the Privy Council, and Minister presiding over the Department of Health. In 1921 James Calder used his position to silence one of the first critics of Residential Schools , Dr P.H. Bryce M.A., M.D., author of Record of the Health Conditions of the Indians of Canada from 1904 to 1921. Dr Bryce had been appalled by the death toll tuberculosis had levelled on the children attending these schools over the previous decades and had advocated intently to improve these conditions and lower a mortality rate exponentially higher than Canadians of European descent. James Calder used his position to force Dr Bryce into an unwanted retirement and was able to silence his advocacy that may have saved innumerable lives. In 1921, he was called to the Canadian Senate, appointed on the advice of The Rt. Hon.

Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen ( ; June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921 and from June to September 1926. He led the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and ...

, representing the senatorial division of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. A

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(and later Progressive Conservative), he died in office in 1956.

Philately

Outside politics, Calder was a noted

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who signed the

Roll of Distinguished Philatelists The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) is a Philately, philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921 to honour those who have advanced philately through research, expertise, or service. ...

in 1947.
Background notes on The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists September 2011
', Roll of Distinguished Philatelists Trust, London, 2011
Archived here.
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Electoral history

, - , Provincial Rights , James Benjamin Hawkes , align="right", 800 , align="right", 47.85% , align="right", – , - bgcolor="white" !align="left" colspan=3, Total !align="right", 1,672 !align="right", 100.00% !align="right", , - , style="width: 130px", Provincial Rights , Albert Eugene Whitmore , align="right", 1,097 , align="right", 51.55% , align="right", +3.70 , - bgcolor="white" !align="left" colspan=3, Total !align="right", 2,128 !align="right", 100.00% !align="right", , - ,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, Hugh Alexander Green , align="right", 254 , align="right", 18.75% , align="right", – , - bgcolor="white" !align="left" colspan=3, Total !align="right", 1,355 !align="right", 100.00% !align="right", , - ,

, James Nixon , align="right", 475 , align="right", 25.93% , align="right", - , - bgcolor="white" !align="left" colspan=3, Total !align="right", 1,832 !align="right", 100.00% !align="right", , - ,

, Henry Leppington , align="right", 1,095 , align="right", 28.86% , align="right", +2.93 , - bgcolor="white" !align="left" colspan=3, Total !align="right", 3,794 !align="right", 100.00% !align="right", , - , Opposition- Labour , SOMERVILLE, James , , align=2,946

References and sources

;References ;Sources * * * * The Story of a National Crime Being a Record of the Health Conditions of the Indians of Canada from 1904 to 1921, by Dr. P. H. Bryce, M.A., M.D. Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Department https://archive.org/details/storyofnationalc00brycuoft/page/n7/mode/2up {{DEFAULTSORT:Calder, James 1868 births 1956 deaths Canadian senators from Saskatchewan Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Oxford County, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Unionist Party (Canada) MPs University of Manitoba alumni Canadian philatelists Signatories to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada