Charles Pingle
Encyclopedia
Charles Stueart "Charlie" Pingle (October 16, 1880 – January 10, 1928) was a druggist, politician and service man in Alberta
, Canada
.
Pingle was born in Manitoba. After attending schools in Winnipeg, he apprenticed a druggist in Regina for two years before writing pharmaceutical exams and moving to Alberta to establish his own shop. One of the founding citizens of Medicine Hat, Alberta
, he served in various boards and associations within the community. After serving as an alderman in Medicine Hat, in 1915, Pingle enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was stationed in France, where he served for about 5 months before returning to Canada.
After winning a seat as a Liberal in the 1913 Alberta general election
and being returned to office again in 1917, Pingle was selected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1920, in which he served until he was defeated in the 1921 Alberta general election
by United Farmers candidate William Smith
in a close race. He returned to the Assembly in a 1925 by-election in the riding of Medicine Hat
, in which he served until his sudden death in 1928.
, Manitoba
on October 16, 1880. His father, born in what would later become Ontario, maintained a family milling business. Upon moving to Regina in 1883, Warren Pingle held many community positions, such as Town Assessor, a jailer, and president of the school board, until his sudden death in 1889 at the age of 41.
Charles Pingle attended a Winnipeg Public School and, following his completing of school, apprenticed with the Bole Drug Company in Regina. In 1899, after apprenticing for two years, he wrote Pharmaceutical exams, and then entered the profession himself. He moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta
in 1901, and one year later, purchased a drug business from fellow druggist Donald A. Black, naming the store Pingle Drug and Book Company. He was a member of the first council of the Alberta Pharmaceutical Association from 1911–1912. He later served as president of the Association from 1918 to 1919. He also served as director of various corporations, like the Medicine Hat News, and the Commonwealth Trust Company in Calgary. On top of these positions, he also maintained a farm in Medicine Hat.
on May 25, 1915. During his time on duty, he sailed to France
in June of 1915, serving there from September 1915 to February 1916, when he returned to Canada.
Pingle ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1913 Alberta general election
as a candidate under the Liberal
banner. He won a hotly contested two way race to pickup the new Redcliff electoral district for his party. Prior to the election, Pingle served as president and vice president in the Medicine Hat Liberal Association. From 1918 to 1919, he chaired the Standing Committee on Miscellaneous and Private Bills in the Fourth Legislature.
He was returned to office by acclamation under Section 38 of the Election Act in the 1917 Alberta general election
for MLA's who participated in active service in the war.
In 1920, following the death of incumbent Speaker Charles W. Fisher
, Pingle was nominated by Premier Charles Stewart
and Attorney-General John R. Boyle
to become Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. He took up the position on February 17 of the same year.
One of the first issues he dealt with was one involving MLA for Beaver River Wilfrid Gariepy
. The fact that Gariepy, who did not reside in Alberta, appeared not to be eligible to sit in the house, in accordance with the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Act and Alberta Election Act, was raised. Although the mention was revoked, Pingle later ruled that it was not his duty to decide on the status of Gariepy, and it was only his duty to recognize every elected member of the house who had been administered the oath of office.
He ran for re-election to his third term in office in the 1921 Alberta general election
but, contrary to many reports, was defeated in a hotly contested two way race by United Farmers candidate William C. Smith. He was the first Speaker in Alberta to be defeated.
Pingle attempted a political come back by running as a candidate in the Medicine Hat electoral district in a by-election held on September 29, 1925, following the death of incumbent William Johnston
. The election was hotly contested with Pingle winning on the second choice preferences of the new Alternate Vote system.
The 1926 Alberta general election
was called less than a year later forcing Pingle to run for his fourth term in office. He won the three way race in ballot transfers once again. In the following year, he was appointed to the Legislature's Special Committee on the Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceedings.
candidate the Ontario riding Windsor-Walkerville in the 1979
and 1980
elections.
Pingle was greatly associated with the Medicine Hat community, sitting on many boards, including the Board of Trade, Rotary Club, and Board of Directors of the Agricultural Society. He also was in the Sons of England Society and Knights of Pythias
. He also enjoyed sports, like baseball
and curling
, where he was president of the board and a skip
of a team respectively. He also took interest in music, joining a string quartet and serving as president of a citizens band.
The locality of Pingle, near Fort McMurray
, which was formerly an Alberta and Great Waterways railway station, was named after him in 1925. Additionally, a street in Medicine Hat, Pingle Street was also named in his honour.
. He had been in poor health in the years preceding his death. His funeral was attended by various members of provincial and municipal governments, political associations, and various members of communities he was associated with. St. Barbanas Church, in which it was held was filled to it's capacity, prompting many people to stand outside. He was later interred at the Hillside Cemetery in Medicine Hat. His wife, Jean would be buried beside him upon her death on September 6, 1944.
Senator William Buchanan
characterized him as "a fair, dignified and capable presiding officer", also referring to him as the "first citizen of Medicine Hat". Lieutenant Governor William Egbert
stated that the death of Pingle would be "keenly felt by the Members of the House and by the people of the province". In an obituary, Pingle was described as "an outstanding figure in the Medicine Hat district, where for many years he occupied an important position in the business and social life of the community."
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...
.
Pingle was born in Manitoba. After attending schools in Winnipeg, he apprenticed a druggist in Regina for two years before writing pharmaceutical exams and moving to Alberta to establish his own shop. One of the founding citizens of Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....
, he served in various boards and associations within the community. After serving as an alderman in Medicine Hat, in 1915, Pingle enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was stationed in France, where he served for about 5 months before returning to Canada.
After winning a seat as a Liberal in the 1913 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1913
The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...
and being returned to office again in 1917, Pingle was selected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1920, in which he served until he was defeated in the 1921 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1921
The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....
by United Farmers candidate William Smith
William C. Smith (politician)
William Cunningham Smith was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1921 to 1935 sitting with the United Farmers caucus in government.-Political career:...
in a close race. He returned to the Assembly in a 1925 by-election in the riding of Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat (provincial electoral district)
Medicine Hat is an Albertan provincial electoral district, covering most of the city of Medicine Hat.Under the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, the constituency covers the portion of the city north of the South Saskatchewan River, the Trans-Canada Highway and Carry Drive...
, in which he served until his sudden death in 1928.
Early life, education and career
Charles Steuart Pingle was born to Warren Hume and Georgina (nee Steuart) Pingle near MorrisMorris, Manitoba
Morris is a small town of about 1700 people in the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba, Canada, located about 50 km south of Winnipeg and 50 km north of Emerson. Morris is host to the annual Manitoba Stampede & Exhibition. Highway 75 which turns in to Interstate 29 is the major highway...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
on October 16, 1880. His father, born in what would later become Ontario, maintained a family milling business. Upon moving to Regina in 1883, Warren Pingle held many community positions, such as Town Assessor, a jailer, and president of the school board, until his sudden death in 1889 at the age of 41.
Charles Pingle attended a Winnipeg Public School and, following his completing of school, apprenticed with the Bole Drug Company in Regina. In 1899, after apprenticing for two years, he wrote Pharmaceutical exams, and then entered the profession himself. He moved to Medicine Hat, 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...
in 1901, and one year later, purchased a drug business from fellow druggist Donald A. Black, naming the store Pingle Drug and Book Company. He was a member of the first council of the Alberta Pharmaceutical Association from 1911–1912. He later served as president of the Association from 1918 to 1919. He also served as director of various corporations, like the Medicine Hat News, and the Commonwealth Trust Company in Calgary. On top of these positions, he also maintained a farm in Medicine Hat.
Military
Pingle served in the Canadian Militia as quartermaster of the 21st Alberta Hussars from 1909 to 1914, with the rank of an honourary captain. Pingle joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force to go fight in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on May 25, 1915. During his time on duty, he sailed to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in June of 1915, serving there from September 1915 to February 1916, when he returned to Canada.
Political career
From 1910 to 1912, Pingle sat as an alderman on the Medicine Hat City Council, involving himself in the Police Committee and Electric Committee.Pingle ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1913 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1913
The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...
as a candidate under the Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
banner. He won a hotly contested two way race to pickup the new Redcliff electoral district for his party. Prior to the election, Pingle served as president and vice president in the Medicine Hat Liberal Association. From 1918 to 1919, he chaired the Standing Committee on Miscellaneous and Private Bills in the Fourth Legislature.
He was returned to office by acclamation under Section 38 of the Election Act in the 1917 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1917
The Alberta general election of 1917 was the fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
for MLA's who participated in active service in the war.
In 1920, following the death of incumbent Speaker Charles W. Fisher
Charles W. Fisher
Charles Wellington Fisher was a Canadian politician who served as the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.-Biography:...
, Pingle was nominated by Premier Charles Stewart
Charles Stewart (Canadian politician)
Charles Stewart, PC was a Canadian politician who served as the third Premier of Alberta from 1917 until 1921. Born in Strabane, Ontario, in Wentworth County, Stewart was a farmer who moved west to Alberta after his farm was destroyed by a storm...
and Attorney-General John R. Boyle
John R. Boyle
John Robert Boyle was a Canadian politician and jurist who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, a cabinet minister in the Government of Alberta, and a judge on the Supreme Court of Alberta. Born in Ontario, he came west and eventually settled in Edmonton, where he practiced...
to become Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. He took up the position on February 17 of the same year.
One of the first issues he dealt with was one involving MLA for Beaver River Wilfrid Gariepy
Wilfrid Gariépy
Wilfrid Gariepy was a Canadian politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and provincial cabinet minister, member of the Canadian House of Commons, and municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Early life:...
. The fact that Gariepy, who did not reside in Alberta, appeared not to be eligible to sit in the house, in accordance with the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Act and Alberta Election Act, was raised. Although the mention was revoked, Pingle later ruled that it was not his duty to decide on the status of Gariepy, and it was only his duty to recognize every elected member of the house who had been administered the oath of office.
He ran for re-election to his third term in office in the 1921 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1921
The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....
but, contrary to many reports, was defeated in a hotly contested two way race by United Farmers candidate William C. Smith. He was the first Speaker in Alberta to be defeated.
Pingle attempted a political come back by running as a candidate in the Medicine Hat electoral district in a by-election held on September 29, 1925, following the death of incumbent William Johnston
William Johnston (Canadian politician)
William George Johnston was a Canadian provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta sitting with the Domion Labor Party caucus from 1921 to his death in 1925....
. The election was hotly contested with Pingle winning on the second choice preferences of the new Alternate Vote system.
The 1926 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1926
The Alberta general election of 1926 was the sixth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 28, 1926 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The writs of election were issued on May 10, 1926 allowing for an election period of 40 days.After Herbert...
was called less than a year later forcing Pingle to run for his fourth term in office. He won the three way race in ballot transfers once again. In the following year, he was appointed to the Legislature's Special Committee on the Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceedings.
Personal life
Charles Steuart Pingle married Jean McLeay, originally from Ontario, on September 16, 1903. Her parents were both of Scottish descent, with her mother being born born in Scotland. Her father worked as a money broker and manufacturer in his hometown of Watford, Ontario. Pingle and his wife would have two children, Robert Warren and Charles Glendining, the latter dying in infancy. Robert's son, also named Charles Steuart, was a unsuccessful Progressive ConservativeProgressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate the Ontario riding Windsor-Walkerville in the 1979
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
and 1980
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
elections.
Pingle was greatly associated with the Medicine Hat community, sitting on many boards, including the Board of Trade, Rotary Club, and Board of Directors of the Agricultural Society. He also was in the Sons of England Society and Knights of Pythias
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
. He also enjoyed sports, like baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, where he was president of the board and a skip
Skip (curling)
The skip, in conjunction with the team, determines strategy. Based on the strategy, the skip holds the broom indicating where the player throwing must aim . When it is the skip's turn to throw, the vice-skip holds the broom...
of a team respectively. He also took interest in music, joining a string quartet and serving as president of a citizens band.
The locality of Pingle, near Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray, Alberta
Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It was previously incorporated as a city on September 1, 1980. It became an urban service area when it amalgamated with Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995 to create the Municipality...
, which was formerly an Alberta and Great Waterways railway station, was named after him in 1925. Additionally, a street in Medicine Hat, Pingle Street was also named in his honour.
Death and legacy
Pingle attended a conference in the morning on January 10, 1928. He returned to his home shortly after noon. He felt a pricking sensation in his hand, and he was unable to use it. His wife urged him to go have a nap. Pingle died at 7:20pm that day at his residence in Medicine Hat, of what was reported to be "cardiac troubles" or a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. He had been in poor health in the years preceding his death. His funeral was attended by various members of provincial and municipal governments, political associations, and various members of communities he was associated with. St. Barbanas Church, in which it was held was filled to it's capacity, prompting many people to stand outside. He was later interred at the Hillside Cemetery in Medicine Hat. His wife, Jean would be buried beside him upon her death on September 6, 1944.
Senator William Buchanan
William Buchanan
William Buchanan 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....
characterized him as "a fair, dignified and capable presiding officer", also referring to him as the "first citizen of Medicine Hat". Lieutenant Governor William Egbert
William Egbert
William Egbert was a Canadian physician and politician. He served as the third Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 1925 to 1931....
stated that the death of Pingle would be "keenly felt by the Members of the House and by the people of the province". In an obituary, Pingle was described as "an outstanding figure in the Medicine Hat district, where for many years he occupied an important position in the business and social life of the community."