Taras Demeter Ferley (October 14, 1882—July 27, 1947) was a publisher and politician in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected ...

from 1915 to 1920 as a supporter of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

, and is notable as the first

Ukrainian Canadian Ukrainian Canadians ( uk, Українські канадці, Україноканадці, translit=Ukrayins'ki kanadtsi, Ukrayinokanadtsi; french: Canadiens d'origine ukrainienne) are Canadian citizens of Ukrainian descent or Ukrainian-born pe ...

to be elected to Manitoba's legislature. Ferley was born in

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

controlled

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

, and educated at the Kolomyja Gymnasium and

Lemberg University The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

. In the Ukraine, he was a member of the Radical Party. He moved to San Francisco,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

in 1903, and took part in a communal living experiment which ended in failure after a few months. He arrived Canada in 1905 and worked as a publisher and real estate broker. He became the director of the Ukrainian Publishing Company of Canada, and also taught at the Ruthenian Training School at

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales * Brandon, ...

for a period beginning in 1907 till 1910. He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1914 provincial election, contesting the constituency of Gimli as an Independent-Liberal. He lost, finishing third against

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

Sveinn Thorvaldson Sveinn Thorvaldson (March 3, 1872 – July 14, 1949) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party. Biography Thorvaldson was born in Ic ...

and official Liberal candidate

Einar Jonasson Einar Sigurjon Jonasson (17 June 1887 – 8 July 1935) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1932 to 1935, as a member of the Manitoba Liberal Party. Jonasson was born in Mountain, ...

. Ferley ran again as an Independent-Liberal in the 1915 provincial election, and became the constituency's ''de facto'' Liberal candidate after Jonasson withdrew from the race. Ferley defeated Thorvaldson by 610 votes, and supported

Tobias Norris Tobias Crawford Norris (September 5, 1861 – October 29, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served as the tenth premier of Manitoba from 1915 to 1922. Norris was a member of the Liberal Party.J. M. Bumsted"Tobias Crawford Norris" ''The Cana ...

's Liberal administration for the next five years. In his parliamentary biography, Ferley emphasized his loyalty to Canada and to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...

. As the sole Ukrainian member of the legislature, Ferley protested against the federal government's treatment of Ukrainian-Canadians 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, ...

. Unlike others in the Liberal Party, he also defended Manitoba's bilingual education system of state funding for Anglophone and Francophone schools. He was defeated in the 1920 provincial election, losing to

Farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

candidate

Gudmundur Fjelsted Gudmundur Fjelsted (1 November 1872—20 January 1961) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1922. Fjelsted was a farmer in Gimli, Manitoba. In the 1920 provincial election ...

by 117 votes.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferley, Taras 1882 births 1947 deaths Politicians from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Politicians from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Ukrainian Austro-Hungarians Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Canada Manitoba Liberal Party MLAs