James Weir (politician)
Canadian politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Weir (August 5, 1863 – April 8, 1949) was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He was one of the first elected in Alberta of the new wave of politicians, standing up for farmers and workers as a third-party representative, neither Liberal nor Conservative.
James Weir | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| In office 7 June 1917 – 18 July 1921 | |
| Preceded by | John M. Glendenning |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Harcourt Galbraith |
| Constituency | Nanton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 August 1863 |
| Died | 8 April 1949 (aged 85) |
| Party | Non-Partisan League |
Early life
He was born in Elginfield, Canada West.[1]
A journalist by trade, he edited newspapers in Hamilton, Windsor, Saskatoon and Strathcona (now part of Edmonton).[2]
Becoming a farmer in the Nanton area, he was active in the United Farmers of Alberta.[3]
Political history
Weir was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1917 Alberta general election. In the district of Nanton, he defeated incumbent MLA John Glendenning in a hotly contested three-way race that separated first from third place by 31 votes. Weir was elected as an Independent and affiliated with the leftist Non-Partisan League.
Weir only served a single term in the assembly. He did not run for re-election after dissolution of the Legislature in 1921.[4]
