Arthur Wray
Encyclopedia
Arthur Henry Wray was a provincial level politician from Alberta
, Canada
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1944 to 1952. He first sat with the governing Social Credit caucus and then as an Independent in 1946 after he was expelled.
as a Social Credit candidate. He won the electoral district of Banff-Cochrane
in a tight race defeating Independent incumbent Frank Laut
. Wray was trailing in second place on the first count. The second choice preferences of Co-operative Commonwealth candidate D. MacGregor put Wray ahead of Laut and gave him a slim majority to pickup the district for his party.
The winter of 1946 would bring a series of terrific snow storms to the town of Cochrane
, Alberta
. The storms paralyzed the town and the areas to north, causing school children to miss 63 out of 114 school days. Wray lobbied Public Work's minister William Fallow to begin clearing the provincial main and secondary highways that became impassible outside of the town. Fallow refused to give any priority to Cochrane and said the government does not clear secondary highways. He dismissed a delegation from the town including Wray who went to Edmonton to meet with the minister.
Wray lost the battle with the cabinet to clear the roads. He continued to be a Social Credit government supporter but tensions between him and his caucus and the ministry began to rise. This came to a head in February 1947 when the Assembly moved and voted on a motion forcing Wray to cross the floor to the opposition benches. Speaker Peter Dawson
forced Wray to move by not recognizing him as a speaker in the debate because he wasn't at his desk which was now on the opposition side. Wray took his desk in protest but failed in his bid to return to the government side of the house. He was forced to move a second time when the Army, Navy, Airforce caucus objected to Wray sitting with them. He was moved to the other end of the opposition benches to sit with Veteran's & Active Force
MLA William Williams.
Wray would run for re-election in the 1948 Alberta general election
as an Independent Social Credit candidate. He would face Laut and former Cochrane
MLA William King
. The election was hotly contested with Wray finishing second on the first ballot. The elimination of King gave Wray enough second choice votes to finish ahead of Laut and hold his district.
Wray would run for a third term in the 1952 Alberta general election
. He would be easily defeated by Social Credit candidate Lee Leavitt
finishing a very distant third place.
Wray would run once more for a seat as an Independent candidate in the Calgary
electoral district in the 1955 Alberta general election
. He would be not be much of a contender finishing very distant in the field of candidates.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
from 1944 to 1952. He first sat with the governing Social Credit caucus and then as an Independent in 1946 after he was expelled.
Political career
Wray ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the 1944 Alberta general electionAlberta general election, 1944
The Alberta general election of 1944 was the tenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The Assembly was dissolved on July 8, 1944 and the vote for was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
as a Social Credit candidate. He won the electoral district of Banff-Cochrane
Banff-Cochrane
Banff-Cochrane is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. This riding is home to the popular tourist destination Banff National Park, environmental issues tend to dominate here....
in a tight race defeating Independent incumbent Frank Laut
Frank Laut
Frank Laut was a farmer and a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 1944 sitting as an Independent.-Political career:...
. Wray was trailing in second place on the first count. The second choice preferences of Co-operative Commonwealth candidate D. MacGregor put Wray ahead of Laut and gave him a slim majority to pickup the district for his party.
The winter of 1946 would bring a series of terrific snow storms to the town of Cochrane
Cochrane, Alberta
Cochrane is a town in the Canadian province of Alberta. The town is located 18 km west of the Calgary city limits along Highway 1A. With a population of 15,424 , Cochrane is the second largest town in Alberta and one of the fastest growing communities in Canada...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. The storms paralyzed the town and the areas to north, causing school children to miss 63 out of 114 school days. Wray lobbied Public Work's minister William Fallow to begin clearing the provincial main and secondary highways that became impassible outside of the town. Fallow refused to give any priority to Cochrane and said the government does not clear secondary highways. He dismissed a delegation from the town including Wray who went to Edmonton to meet with the minister.
Wray lost the battle with the cabinet to clear the roads. He continued to be a Social Credit government supporter but tensions between him and his caucus and the ministry began to rise. This came to a head in February 1947 when the Assembly moved and voted on a motion forcing Wray to cross the floor to the opposition benches. Speaker Peter Dawson
Peter Dawson (politician)
Peter Dawson was a Canadian minister, politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Dawson was born in 1892 in Scotland. After attending schools and briefly working as a labourer and an apprentice to a butcher in Maybole, Dawson immigrated to Canada at the age of 18 with his...
forced Wray to move by not recognizing him as a speaker in the debate because he wasn't at his desk which was now on the opposition side. Wray took his desk in protest but failed in his bid to return to the government side of the house. He was forced to move a second time when the Army, Navy, Airforce caucus objected to Wray sitting with them. He was moved to the other end of the opposition benches to sit with Veteran's & Active Force
Veteran's & Active Force
The Veterans' and Active Force was a one-man political party that was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada, from 1944 to 1948. It was led by William J. Williams....
MLA William Williams.
Wray would run for re-election in the 1948 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1948
The Alberta general election of 1948 was the eleventh general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 17, 1948 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
as an Independent Social Credit candidate. He would face Laut and former Cochrane
Cochrane (provincial electoral district)
Cochrane was a provincial electoral district in southern Alberta, Canada. The district was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1926 under the First Past the Post voting system and under Single Transferable Vote from 1926 to 1940.-Boundary...
MLA William King
William Robert King
William Robert King was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1940 affiliated with the Social Credit caucus for the electoral district of Cochrane.-Political career:...
. The election was hotly contested with Wray finishing second on the first ballot. The elimination of King gave Wray enough second choice votes to finish ahead of Laut and hold his district.
Wray would run for a third term in the 1952 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1952
The Alberta general election of 1952 was the twelfth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 5, 1952 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
. He would be easily defeated by Social Credit candidate Lee Leavitt
Lee Leavitt
Lorne Lee Leavitt was a teacher and a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1955 and a second stint from 1963 to 1971 sitting both times with the governing Social Credit caucus.-Political career:Leavitt would run...
finishing a very distant third place.
Wray would run once more for a seat as an Independent candidate in the Calgary
Calgary (provincial electoral district)
Calgary was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada that existed from 1905 to 1913 and was recreated from 1921 to 1959. The district returned from one to six members to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
electoral district in the 1955 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1955
The Alberta general election of 1955 was the thirteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 29, 1955 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He would be not be much of a contender finishing very distant in the field of candidates.