James Gray Turgeon
Encyclopedia
James Gray Turgeon was a broker, soldier and a provincial and federal level politician from Canada
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1913 to 1921 sitting with the Alberta Liberal caucus in government. During that time he also served in World War I
.
Turgeon had a long career in federal politics. He served as a Member of the Canadian House of Commons
from 1935 to 1947 and he also served as a Canadian Senator from 1947 to his death in 1964 sitting with the federal Liberal
caucus in both houses.
, New Brunswick
. His father was Onésiphore Turgeon
a prominent federal politician. He had one brother William
who also became a prominent politician.
as a Liberal candidate. He defeated Conservative candidate William Blair to pick up the new Ribstone electoral district for his party.
Turgeon did not contest his seat in the 1917 Alberta general election
. He was returned by acclamation under section 38 of the Elections Act for his military service in World War I
.
Turgeon ran for a third term in the 1921 Alberta general election
. He was defeated in a landslide by United Farmers candidate Charles Wright
.
while he was still a member of the Alberta Legislature in 1914. He served as a Lieutenant in the Army until 1918. While he was fighting overseas he was acclaimed to his district in the 1917 Alberta general election
under Section 38 of the Elections Act that stipulates an Incumbent involved in active duty in the World War I
would not have to face a contested race in his district.
Turgeon would run for re-election in the 1921 Alberta general election
. He was defeated by Charles Wright
a candidate from the United Farmers of Alberta
in a landslide.
, he ran for a seat to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
in the 1933 British Columbia general election
as a candidate for the British Columbia Liberals
in the riding of Vancouver East he was defeated only obtaining 16% of the vote and finishing in fourth place out of thirteen candidates.
Two years later Turgeon would run for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1935 Canadian federal election
as a federal Liberal
candidate. He defeated Incumbent John Fraser and three other candidates.
Turgeon ran for a second term in the 1940 Canadian federal election
. He won a hotly contested three way race over Co-operative Commonwealth candidate William Irvine to hold his seat.
The 1945 federal election
would see Turgeon and Irvine face each other for the second time. This time Turgeon went down to defeat finishing a close second in the four way race.
After his defeat Turgeon was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Mackenzie King
on January 27, 1947. He designated his senate division as Cariboo, British Columbia. He would serve in the Senate until his death on February 14, 1964.
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 1913 to 1921 sitting with the Alberta Liberal caucus in government. During that time he also served in World War I
World 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...
.
Turgeon had a long career in federal politics. He served as a Member of 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...
from 1935 to 1947 and he also served as a Canadian Senator from 1947 to his death in 1964 sitting with the federal 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...
caucus in both houses.
Early life
James Gray Turgeon was born on October 7, 1879 in BathurstBathurst, New Brunswick
Bathurst is a Canadian city in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.Bathurst is situated on Bathurst Harbour, an estuary at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River at the southernmost part of Chaleur Bay....
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. His father was Onésiphore Turgeon
Onésiphore Turgeon
Onésiphore Turgeon was a Canadian parliamentarian.Born in Lévis, Canada East, the son of Simon Turgeon and Pélagie Paradis, he was educated at the Séminaire of Quebec and the Université Laval. Turgeon was a journalist in Bathurst, New Brunswick and was editor for Le Courrier des Provinces Maritimes...
a prominent federal politician. He had one brother William
William Ferdinand Alphonse Turgeon
William Ferdinand Alphonse Turgeon, OC, PC was a Canadian politician and judge in the Province of Saskatchewan. He also served as a diplomat for the Government of Canada.- Early Life :...
who also became a prominent politician.
Alberta politics
Turgeon ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the 1913 Alberta general electionAlberta 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 Liberal candidate. He defeated Conservative candidate William Blair to pick up the new Ribstone electoral district for his party.
Turgeon did not contest his seat 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....
. He was returned by acclamation under section 38 of the Elections Act for his military service in World War I
World 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...
.
Turgeon ran for a third term 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....
. He was defeated in a landslide by United Farmers candidate Charles Wright
Charles O. Wright
Charles O. F. Wright was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1921 to his death in 1922 sitting with the United Farmers caucus in government.-Political career:...
.
World War I
Turgeon enlisted in the Canadian ForcesCanadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
while he was still a member of the Alberta Legislature in 1914. He served as a Lieutenant in the Army until 1918. While he was fighting overseas he was acclaimed to his district 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....
under Section 38 of the Elections Act that stipulates an Incumbent involved in active duty in the World War I
World 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...
would not have to face a contested race in his district.
Turgeon would run for re-election 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....
. He was defeated by Charles Wright
Charles Wright
Charles Wright may refer to:*Charles Wright , American botanist*Charles Frederick Wright , U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania*Charles Wright , Nottinghamshire and England cricketer*C. S...
a candidate from the United Farmers of Alberta
United Farmers of Alberta
The United Farmers of Alberta is an association of Alberta farmers that has served many different roles throughout its history as a lobby group, a political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. Since 1934 it has primarily been an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary...
in a landslide.
British Columbia
Turgeon moved to British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, he ran for a seat to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
in the 1933 British Columbia general election
British Columbia general election, 1933
The British Columbia general election of 1933 was the eighteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 13, 1933, and held on November 2, 1933...
as a candidate for the British Columbia Liberals
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
in the riding of Vancouver East he was defeated only obtaining 16% of the vote and finishing in fourth place out of thirteen candidates.
Two years later Turgeon would run for a seat in 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 Canadian 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 federal 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...
candidate. He defeated Incumbent John Fraser and three other candidates.
Turgeon ran for a second term in the 1940 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
. He won a hotly contested three way race over Co-operative Commonwealth candidate William Irvine to hold his seat.
The 1945 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1945
The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada...
would see Turgeon and Irvine face each other for the second time. This time Turgeon went down to defeat finishing a close second in the four way race.
After his defeat Turgeon was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
on January 27, 1947. He designated his senate division as Cariboo, British Columbia. He would serve in the Senate until his death on February 14, 1964.