Gunnar Thorvaldson
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Solmunder Thorvaldson, KC (March 18, 1901 in Riverton
, Manitoba
– August 2, 1969) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
from 1941 to 1949, and in the Canadian Senate
from 1958 until his death. Originally elected as a Conservative, he sat as a Progressive Conservative
after the party changed its name in 1943.
Thorvaldson was born to a notable Iceland
ic-Canadian family in Manitoba. His father, Sveinn Thorvaldson
, was also a Conservative member of the Assembly from 1914 to 1915.
degree from the University of Saskatchewan
in 1922 and a law degree from the Manitoba Law School in 1925. He worked as a barrister. Thorvaldson was also president of the Income Tax Payer's Association from 1944 to 1946, and was a member of the Manitoba Club, the Empire Club and the Optimist Club.
, but finished third against Liberal
Einar Jonasson
.
Thorvaldson ran for the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1935 federal election
as a candidate of the Conservative Party of Canada
. He lost, finishing a distant second against Liberal-Progressive candidate Joseph T. Thorson in the riding of Selkirk
.
He ran for the Manitoba legislature for the second time in the 1936 provincial election
, this time campaigning in the constituency of Winnipeg, which elected ten members by a single transferable ballot. He finished twelfth on the first count, did poorly on transfers and was eliminated on the eleventh ballot.
Thorvaldson was finally successful on his fourth attempt at elected office, in the 1941 provincial election
. He again ran in Winnipeg, and this time finishing seventh on the first count. Subsequent counts confirmed his position, and he was finally declared elected on the nineteenth ballot. The Liberal-Progressives and Conservatives were partners in a coalition government
during this period, and Thorvaldson served as a backbench supporter of the ministries of John Bracken
and Stuart Garson
.
He was re-elected in the 1945 election
, finishing eighth on the first count and securing election on the fifteenth ballot.
Thorvaldson resigned his provincial seat in 1949 to campaign as the Progressive Conservative
candidate for Winnipeg South
in the Canadian federal election of 1949
. He was defeated by Liberal
Leslie Alexander Mutch, and did seek a return to elected office.
In 1958, Thorvaldson was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister
John Diefenbaker
. He served as president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1959 to 1954, and was named to Canada's United Nations
delegation. In 1968, he was awarded the Order of the Falcon
by the President of Iceland
.
Riverton, Manitoba
Riverton is a village in the province of Manitoba in Canada located approximately 110 kilometres north of Winnipeg. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Bifrost. The CPR's train conductor is reputed to have named the town....
, 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...
– August 2, 1969) was a politician in Manitoba, 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 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
from 1941 to 1949, and in the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
from 1958 until his death. Originally elected as a Conservative, he sat as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
after the party changed its name in 1943.
Thorvaldson was born to a notable Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic-Canadian family in Manitoba. His father, Sveinn Thorvaldson
Sveinn Thorvaldson
Sveinn Thorvaldson 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....
, was also a Conservative member of the Assembly from 1914 to 1915.
Education
He received a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
in 1922 and a law degree from the Manitoba Law School in 1925. He worked as a barrister. Thorvaldson was also president of the Income Tax Payer's Association from 1944 to 1946, and was a member of the Manitoba Club, the Empire Club and the Optimist Club.
Elections
He ran for the Manitoba legislature in the constituency of Gimli in the 1932 provincial electionManitoba general election, 1932
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1932 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This was the second election in Manitoba where the single transferable ballot was used in all electoral divisions...
, but finished third against Liberal
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
Einar Jonasson
Einar Jonasson
Einar Sigurjon Jonasson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1932 to 1935, as a member of the Liberal-Progressive Party....
.
Thorvaldson ran for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1935 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
as a candidate of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
. He lost, finishing a distant second against Liberal-Progressive candidate Joseph T. Thorson in the riding of Selkirk
Selkirk (electoral district)
Selkirk was a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1979.This riding was created in 1871 when the province of Manitoba was created....
.
He ran for the Manitoba legislature for the second time in the 1936 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1936
Manitoba's general election of July 27, 1936 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The was the second election in Manitoba after the formation of a Liberal-Progressive alliance in 1932...
, this time campaigning in the constituency of Winnipeg, which elected ten members by a single transferable ballot. He finished twelfth on the first count, did poorly on transfers and was eliminated on the eleventh ballot.
Thorvaldson was finally successful on his fourth attempt at elected office, in the 1941 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1941
Manitoba's general election of April 22, 1941 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was held shortly after the formation of a coalition government in December 1940...
. He again ran in Winnipeg, and this time finishing seventh on the first count. Subsequent counts confirmed his position, and he was finally declared elected on the nineteenth ballot. The Liberal-Progressives and Conservatives were partners in a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
during this period, and Thorvaldson served as a backbench supporter of the ministries of John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
and Stuart Garson
Stuart Garson
Stuart Sinclair Garson, was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Premier of Manitoba from 1943 to 1948, and later became a federal cabinet minister....
.
He was re-elected in the 1945 election
Manitoba general election, 1945
Manitoba's general election of October 15, 1945 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The 1945 provincial election was extremely different from the previous election, which was held in 1941...
, finishing eighth on the first count and securing election on the fifteenth ballot.
Thorvaldson resigned his provincial seat in 1949 to campaign as the Progressive Conservative
Progressive 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 for Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the south of the city of Winnipeg...
in the Canadian federal election of 1949
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
. He was defeated by Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Leslie Alexander Mutch, and did seek a return to elected office.
Appointments
Thorvaldson was appointed a King's Counsel in 1942. In 1954-55, he became the first lawyer to serve as president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.In 1958, Thorvaldson was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
John Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963...
. He served as president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1959 to 1954, and was named to Canada's United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
delegation. In 1968, he was awarded the Order of the Falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
by the President of Iceland
President of Iceland
The President of Iceland is Iceland's elected head of state. The president is elected to a four-year term by universal adult suffrage and has limited powers. The president is not the head of government; the Prime Minister of Iceland is the head of government. There have been five presidents since...
.