Salome Halldorson
Encyclopedia
Elin Salome Halldorson was a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
from 1936 to 1941 as a member of the Social Credit League
. She was the second woman to serve in the provincial legislature.
Halldorson was born to an Iceland
ic family in Lundar
, Manitoba. She was educated at Wesley College
in Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba
, receiving a Bachelor of Arts
degree. Halldorson worked as a teacher of languages, teaching Latin, French and German from 1918 to 1938 at Jon Bjarnason Academy, a private school started by the Icelandic Lutheran Church
in 1913.
She was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1936 provincial election
, defeating Liberal-Progressive
incumbent Skuli Sigfusson
by 156 votes in the constituency of St. George. She was the first woman elected to the legislature since the resignation of Edith Rogers in 1932.
The Social Credit League won only five seats (out of 55) in this election, but held the balance of power by maintaining John Bracken
's Liberal-Progressive government in office. In 1940, the party formally entered an all-party coalition government
with the Liberal-Progressives, Conservatives
and Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. Independent Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) Lewis St. George Stubbs
was initially the only legislator not to join the government.
Social Credit split on the coalition issue, and Halldorson broke with the rest of her caucus to serve as the legislature's second opposition member. The Social Credit League subsequently expelled the other four MLAs, although they continued to identify themselves as representatives of the party. The reconstructed Social Credit League endorsed Halldorson's decision, and Social Credit
Premier
of Alberta
William Aberhart
also supported her.
The 1941 election
greatly reduced Social Credit as a political force in the province. All of the anti-coalition candidates were defeated, and Halldorson finished a distant second against Sigfusson in St George.
In addition to her career in the legislature, Halldorson served as vice-president and president of the Manitoba Social Credit League in the 1930s and 1940s.
In 1943, Halldorson contested a federal by-election
in Selkirk
as a candidate of the Social Credit Party of Canada
. She came a very distant third, finishing almost 9,000 votes behind successful candidate William Bryce
of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. She was re-nominated in the 1945 provincial election
, but declined to stand.
Halldorson later taught at Morden
, Transcona
and at Balmoral Hall
. In 1953, she wrote against proposed anti-discrimination legislation as unduly restricting the freedom of employers.
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...
, 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...
. She 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 1936 to 1941 as a member of the Social Credit League
Manitoba Social Credit Party
The Manitoba Social Credit Party was a political party in the Canadian province of Manitoba. In its early years, it espoused the monetary reform theories of social credit....
. She was the second woman to serve in the provincial legislature.
Halldorson was born to an 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 family in Lundar
Lundar, Manitoba
Lundar is a community situated in Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the Rural Municipality of Coldwell, in Manitoba's Interlake Region , 99KM north of Winnipeg on Hwy 6. Nearby attractions are Lake Manitoba and the Lundar Provincial Park. Lundar is home to a Canada Goose refuge, beaches. Lundar...
, Manitoba. She was educated at Wesley College
Wesley College, Winnipeg
Wesley College was a college that existed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 1888 to 1967. It was one of the University of Winnipeg's founding colleges.-History:...
in Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, receiving a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor 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. Halldorson worked as a teacher of languages, teaching Latin, French and German from 1918 to 1938 at Jon Bjarnason Academy, a private school started by the Icelandic Lutheran Church
Icelandic Evangelical Lutheran Synod of America
Icelandic Evangelical Lutheran Synod of America was a Lutheran church body in North America.The Synod was founded in June 1885 at a constitutional convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The early churches in this body were located in Manitoba and North Dakota...
in 1913.
She was elected to the Manitoba legislature 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...
, defeating Liberal-Progressive
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 :...
incumbent Skuli Sigfusson
Skuli Sigfusson
Skuli Sigfusson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba on three occasions: from 1915 to 1920, 1922 to 1936, and 1941 to 1945....
by 156 votes in the constituency of St. George. She was the first woman elected to the legislature since the resignation of Edith Rogers in 1932.
The Social Credit League won only five seats (out of 55) in this election, but held the balance of power by maintaining John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
's Liberal-Progressive government in office. In 1940, the party formally entered an all-party 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...
with the Liberal-Progressives, Conservatives
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:...
and Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. Independent Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) Lewis St. George Stubbs
Lewis St. George Stubbs
Lewis St. George Stubbs was a prominent judge and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1936 to 1949 as an Independent, and was known for promoting left-wing and socially progressive causes.Stubbs was born on the island of Cockburn Harbour in the...
was initially the only legislator not to join the government.
Social Credit split on the coalition issue, and Halldorson broke with the rest of her caucus to serve as the legislature's second opposition member. The Social Credit League subsequently expelled the other four MLAs, although they continued to identify themselves as representatives of the party. The reconstructed Social Credit League endorsed Halldorson's decision, and Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
Premier
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
of 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...
William Aberhart
William Aberhart
William Aberhart , also known as Bible Bill for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh Premier of Alberta between 1935 and 1943. The Social Credit party believed the reason for the depression was that people did not have enough money to spend, so the government...
also supported her.
The 1941 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...
greatly reduced Social Credit as a political force in the province. All of the anti-coalition candidates were defeated, and Halldorson finished a distant second against Sigfusson in St George.
In addition to her career in the legislature, Halldorson served as vice-president and president of the Manitoba Social Credit League in the 1930s and 1940s.
In 1943, Halldorson contested a federal by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 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....
as a candidate of the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
. She came a very distant third, finishing almost 9,000 votes behind successful candidate William Bryce
William Bryce
William "Scottie" Bryce was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He briefly served as leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , although he never served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.Bryce, born in Lanark, Scotland, was educated at Glasgow and apprenticed as a machinist...
of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. She was re-nominated in the 1945 provincial 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...
, but declined to stand.
Halldorson later taught at Morden
Morden, Manitoba
Morden is a small town with a population of 6571 located in the Pembina Valley region of southern Manitoba, Canada. Morden is less than ten minutes west of neighbouring Winkler, and a relatively short distance to Pembina Valley Provincial Park...
, Transcona
Transcona, Manitoba
Transcona is a suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada located about 10 kilometres east of the downtown area. Until 1972 it was a separate municipality, having been incorporated first as the Town of Transcona in 1912 and then as the City of Transcona in 1961...
and at Balmoral Hall
Balmoral Hall School
-History:Balmoral Hall was founded in 1901 as Havergal College, located at 122 Carlton Street. The name was changed in 1917 to Rupert's Land College to end the confusion with the institution of the same name in Toronto....
. In 1953, she wrote against proposed anti-discrimination legislation as unduly restricting the freedom of employers.