Tom Uphill
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hubert Uphill was a socialist
politician in British Columbia
, long time mayor
of the town of Fernie
and also represented the riding
named for the town in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for forty years, most of them as the legislature's sole labour MLA
.
Uphill was born in 1874 in Chewton Mendip
, Somerset
, England
, the son of a farm labourer. After serving in the Second Boer War
, he moved to Fernie, British Columbia in 1904 and became a life insurance
salesman. A supporter of the trade union
movement he also served as secretary of the miner's union. In 1912 he was elected to city council for the first time and won his first election as mayor in 1915.
In the 1916 provincial election
, Uphill ran for the provincial legislature as a Conservative
and was narrowly defeated. The wave of political radicalisation that followed World War I
along with his trade union sympathies had an impact on Uphill and when he ran for the legislature in 1920
, he did so as a member of the Federated Labour Party which had been created by the province's federation of labour absorbing previous socialist parties. Uphill was elected as one of three FLP MLAs in the province.
In the legislature, Uphill was an opponent of prohibition
clashing with Premier John Oliver
on the question. In 1924 Uphill was re-elected as one of three Canadian Labour Party
MLAs. The CLP fractured and, in 1928, Uphill was re-elected as the sole Independent Labour Party MLA and thereafter represented the local "Fernie and District Labour Party". The British Columbia Co-operative Commonwealth Federation contested its first election in 1933
. Uphill declined to join the CCF, viewing it as too conservative. His views had evolved towards those of the Communist Party of Canada
though he never joined that party nor ran under its label.
The 1952 provincial election
resulted in a hung parliament
in which no party had a majority
. The new British Columbia Social Credit League had won 19 seats, only one more than the CCF, led by Harold Winch. The CCF argued that they ought to be called upon to form a government as, with Uphill as a labour MLA, the left had as many seats as Social Credit and that, with much more parliamentary experience than the Socreds, they were better positioned to form a government. The CCF, however, had run candidates against Uphill in the 1949 and 1952 elections. In 1949, Uphill beat the Liberal-Conservative coalition candidate by only nine votes, the narrowness of the victory due to vote-splitting by the CCF. W.A.C. Bennett
had foreseen the CCF's argument and obtained Uphill's agreement that he would instead support Social Credit's bid to form the government. By the time Social Credit was defeated in a motion of no confidence
the next year, Uphill had changed his mind and pledged to support a CCF government. However, Harold Winch was unable to convince Lieutenant-Governor Clarence Wallace
to give his party a chance to form a government and so the legislature was dissolved and a 1953 early election
was called resulting in a Social Credit majority government
.
Uphill remained the sole small-l labour MLA in the legislature until his retirement in 1960.
He would make appearances and make speeches at events such as May Day
organized by the Communists and later the Labour-Progressive Party
.
Uphill remained mayor of Fernie until he lost a close election in 1946 but managed to return to the office in 1950. He retired from the office in 1955 due to health reasons, though he remained in the provincial legislature for an additional term.
When he died in 1962, 22 flags flew at half-mast to mourn his passing. A new senior citizen's home was named the Tom Uphill Memorial Home in his honour.
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
politician in British Columbia
British 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...
, long time mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the town of Fernie
Fernie, British Columbia
Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway 3 on the eastern approaches to the Crowsnest Pass through the Rocky Mountains...
and also represented the riding
Fernie (electoral district)
Fernie was the name of a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia centred on the town of Fernie in the southern Rockies. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1903...
named for the town in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for forty years, most of them as the legislature's sole labour MLA
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....
.
Uphill was born in 1874 in Chewton Mendip
Chewton Mendip
Chewton Mendip is a village and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells, south of Bristol on the Mendip Hills and is the source of the River Chew. The parish includes the hamlet of Bathway.- History :...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of a farm labourer. After serving in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, he moved to Fernie, British Columbia in 1904 and became a life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
salesman. A supporter of the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement he also served as secretary of the miner's union. In 1912 he was elected to city council for the first time and won his first election as mayor in 1915.
In the 1916 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1916
The British Columbia general election of 1916 was the fourteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 5, 1916, and held on September 14, 1916...
, Uphill ran for the provincial legislature as a Conservative
British Columbia Conservative Party
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...
and was narrowly defeated. The wave of political radicalisation that followed 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...
along with his trade union sympathies had an impact on Uphill and when he ran for the legislature in 1920
British Columbia general election, 1920
The British Columbia general election of 1920 was the fifteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on October 23, 1920, and held on December 1, 1920...
, he did so as a member of the Federated Labour Party which had been created by the province's federation of labour absorbing previous socialist parties. Uphill was elected as one of three FLP MLAs in the province.
In the legislature, Uphill was an opponent of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
clashing with Premier John Oliver
John Oliver (politician)
John Oliver was a politician and farmer in British Columbia, Canada.Oliver was involved in local politics when he won a seat in the provincial legislature in the 1900 election, and became leader of the opposition. He lost his seat in the 1909 election...
on the question. In 1924 Uphill was re-elected as one of three Canadian Labour Party
Canadian Labour Party
The Canadian Labour Party was an early, unsuccessful attempt at creating a national labour party in Canada. Although it ran candidates in the federal elections of 1917, 1921, 1925 and 1926, it never succeeded in its goal of providing a national forum for the Canadian labour movement...
MLAs. The CLP fractured and, in 1928, Uphill was re-elected as the sole Independent Labour Party MLA and thereafter represented the local "Fernie and District Labour Party". The British Columbia Co-operative Commonwealth Federation contested its first election in 1933
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...
. Uphill declined to join the CCF, viewing it as too conservative. His views had evolved towards those of the Communist Party of Canada
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
though he never joined that party nor ran under its label.
The 1952 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1952
The British Columbia general election, 1952 was the 23rd 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 April 10, 1952, and held on June 12, 1952. The new legislature met for the...
resulted in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
in which no party had a majority
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
. The new British Columbia Social Credit League had won 19 seats, only one more than the CCF, led by Harold Winch. The CCF argued that they ought to be called upon to form a government as, with Uphill as a labour MLA, the left had as many seats as Social Credit and that, with much more parliamentary experience than the Socreds, they were better positioned to form a government. The CCF, however, had run candidates against Uphill in the 1949 and 1952 elections. In 1949, Uphill beat the Liberal-Conservative coalition candidate by only nine votes, the narrowness of the victory due to vote-splitting by the CCF. W.A.C. Bennett
W.A.C. Bennett
William Andrew Cecil Bennett, PC, OC was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C...
had foreseen the CCF's argument and obtained Uphill's agreement that he would instead support Social Credit's bid to form the government. By the time Social Credit was defeated in a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
the next year, Uphill had changed his mind and pledged to support a CCF government. However, Harold Winch was unable to convince Lieutenant-Governor Clarence Wallace
Clarence Wallace
Clarence Wallace was a Canadian shipbuilder and the 18th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he fought in World War I and was wounded at Ypres. After the war, he became the president of his father's business, Burrard Dry Dock...
to give his party a chance to form a government and so the legislature was dissolved and a 1953 early election
British Columbia general election, 1953
The British Columbia general election of 1953 was the 24th 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 April 10, 1953, and held on June 9, 1953...
was called resulting in a Social Credit majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
.
Uphill remained the sole small-l labour MLA in the legislature until his retirement in 1960.
He would make appearances and make speeches at events such as May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
organized by the Communists and later the Labour-Progressive Party
Labour-Progressive Party
For the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government in New Zealand see the Fifth Labour Government of New ZealandThe Labor-Progressive Party was the legal political organization of the Communist Party of Canada between 1943 and 1959....
.
Uphill remained mayor of Fernie until he lost a close election in 1946 but managed to return to the office in 1950. He retired from the office in 1955 due to health reasons, though he remained in the provincial legislature for an additional term.
When he died in 1962, 22 flags flew at half-mast to mourn his passing. A new senior citizen's home was named the Tom Uphill Memorial Home in his honour.