James Thomas Milton Anderson (July 23, 1878 – December 29, 1946) was the fifth

premier of Saskatchewan The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The current premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saska ...

and the first

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

to hold the office.

Early career

Anderson was chosen as leader of the Conservatives in 1924 and was one of the party's three

Members of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nationa ...

elected in the 1925 election.

Premiership

In the 1929 election, the Conservatives were able to exploit

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scandals surrounding the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

government of Saskatchewan Premier

James Garfield Gardiner James Garfield Gardiner (30 November 1883 – 12 January 1962) was a Canadian farmer, educator, and politician. He served as the fourth premier of Saskatchewan and as a minister in the Canadian Cabinet. Political career Gardiner was first elec ...

to achieve a major breakthrough by winning 24 seats. The Liberals won 28 seats, with 5 going to the Progressive Party and the remaining 4 to independents. The Liberals tried to form a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...

but were defeated in a

motion of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

, which allowed Anderson to form a co-operative government, a

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

between the Conservatives, Progressives and Independents. Anderson was accused of working closely with the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

, which was a major force in the province in the late 1920s and the early 1930s with an estimated 25,000 members. Pat Emmons, a senior Klan defector, alleged that Anderson and Klan officials regularly met, and the Liberals accused the Conservatives of being a front for the Klan. With few

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in the province, and

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

largely confined to

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." R ...

under the informal pass system, the focus of the Klan was against

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, and

francophones The French language became an international language, the second international language alongside Latin, in the Middle Ages, "from the fourteenth century onwards". It was not by virtue of the power of the Kingdom of France: '"... until the end ...

; as well as opposition to the Gardiner Liberals, who were seen as supporting all three of those groups. Anderson denied the allegations, but upon gaining power, he took the portfolio of

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

while he was premier and proposed amendments to the Schools Act to ban the instruction of French in public schools and to outlaw the display of religious symbols in all schools, including the Catholic

separate school In Canada, a separate school is a type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan) and statutory status in the three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut). In these Canadian ...

system. The Klan supported those changes and worked hard to elect and defend the Conservative-dominated government.

Loss of office

The Anderson government also had to face the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

, which destroyed the province's agrarian economy. Anderson also had to deal with labour unrest culminating in the Estevan Riot of 1931. The government formed the Saskatchewan Relief Commission to try to help those affected by the drought and massive unemployment. Those efforts were insufficient, and in the 1934 elections, the Conservatives lost every seat in the

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and remained a minor party for 40 years.

Electoral history

Saskatchewan general elections, 1925 to 1934

Anderson led the Conservative Party in three general elections, in 1925, 1929 and 1934. They came in third in seats in 1925, formed a minority government in 1929, and were completely eliminated from the Assembly in the 1934 election.

1925 General election

In his first general election, Anderson and the Conservatives came in third, although he managed to win a seat in the Legislative Assembly. ¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after the election.
² Co-Leaders of the Opposition after the election.Saskatchewan Archives — Leaders of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.
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1929 General election

Anderson led the Conservatives to a much improved result in the 1929 election, being only eight seats short of a majority in a

hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system (typically employing Majoritarian representation, majoritarian electoral systems) to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing ...

. Premier Gardiner and the Liberals had four more seats than the Conservatives. Gardiner chose to face the Assembly in hopes of obtaining sufficient support from some of the opposition members to maintain his government. Anderson organized a vote on a

confidence motion A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fit ...

which defeated the government. Gardiner resigned and Anderson became Premier. ¹ Premier when election was called; lost confidence motion in the Assembly after the election; resigned as Premier and became

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

.
² Co-Leader of the Opposition when the election was called; became Premier after successful vote of non-confidence in the Gardiner government.

1934 General election

Anderson was Premier for almost five years and led the Conservatives into the 1934 election, at the depths of the

and

Dirty Thirties The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

. The Conservatives were routed, losing every seat, although they came in second in the popular vote. The Liberals under Gardiner won a massive majority, with all but five seats in the Legislative Assembly. The

Farmer-Labour Party The was a short-lived socialist political party in Japan. The party was the first of the proletarian parties that emerged in the country after the enactment of the Universal Manhood Suffrage Law (普通選挙法, ''Futsū Senkyo Hō'') in 192 ...

formed the Opposition. ¹ Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Premier after the election.
² Party leader during the election, but failed to win seat; role as Leader of the Opposition taken by

George Hara Williams George Hara Williams (November 17, 1894 – September 12, 1945) was a Canadian farmer activist and politician.Dale-Burnett, LisaWilliams, George (1894–1945), ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, accessed February 12, 2008 Biography Born in Binsca ...

.
³ Premier when election was called; lost seat in the election and resigned as Premier.

Saskatchewan constituency elections

Anderson stood for election five times, all in the riding of Saskatoon City, which returned two members. After becoming Premier after the 1929 general election, he was required by the electoral law at that time to be re-elected in a by-election, which he won 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 ...

. He won two contested elections and lost two.

1925 General election: Saskatoon City

E Elected.
X Incumbent.
¹ Rounding error.

1929 General election: Saskatoon City

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1929 By-election: Saskatoon City

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1934 General election: Saskatoon City

E Elected.
X Incumbent.
¹ Rounding error.

1938 General election: Saskatoon City

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

References

Sources

Encyclopedia of SaskatchewanThe Canadian EncyclopediaSaskatchewan Archives Board – Saskatchewan Election Results By Electoral Division
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, James 1878 births 1946 deaths Canadian Anglicans Premiers of Saskatchewan Leaders of the opposition of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan political party leaders 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs