Wallace C. Miller
Encyclopedia
Wallace Conrad Miller was a Canadian
politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
from 1936 to 1959, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Douglas L. Campbell.
Born in Waterloo County
, Ontario
, Miller was educated at schools in Ontario and Manitoba, and also in Germany
and France
. He worked as a real estate agent and Notary Public. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
in 1916, and served in France during World War I
. Twice wounded, he returned home for medical reasons in June 1918. From 1926 to 1936, Miller served as chair of the Gretna School Board. He was a director of the Manitoba Trustees Association from 1932 to 1940, and was its president in 1939-40. He was also a police magistrate from 1926 to 1928, and a Justice of the Peace
from 1932 to 1936.
Miller ran for the Canadian House of Commons
for the a Conservative Party
in the 1935 federal election
, but lost to Howard Winkler of the Liberal Party
by 520 votes, in the riding of Lisgar
.
He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1936 provincial election
. A Conservative
, he defeating Liberal-Progressive
J.J. Enns by 358 votes in the constituency of Morden and Rhineland.
In 1940, the governing Liberal-Progressives formed an all-party coalition government with the Conservatives, CCF and Social Credit
. Miller was re-elected in the 1941 election
as a coalition Conservative, defeating three other pro-coalition candidates.
In early 1945, Miller resigned his seat to run for the Canadian House of Commons in the 1945 federal election
. He again lost to Howard Winkler, this time by 295 votes.
The Morden & Rhineland seat had not been filled by the time of the 1945 provincial election
, which allowed Miller to declare his candidacy for the constituency again. Still running as a coalition Conservative, he defeated coalition Liberal-Progressive J.R. Walkof by a narrow margin. In the 1949 provincial election
, he was returned without opposition for the redistributed constituency of Rhineland.
When Douglas Campbell became Premier on December 14, 1948, he appointed Miller as his Provincial Secretary
. Miller retained this position until February 14, 1950, when he resigned to become Speaker
of the Assembly.
The Progressive Conservative Party left the coalition government in the summer of 1950, to sit on the opposition benches. Though he had been known as a strongly partisan MLA, Miller opposed this opposition and left the Progressive Conservatives to sit with the Liberal-Progressives. He resigned as Speaker on August 15, 1950, and was re-appointed to cabinet the following day as Minister of Education.
Miller was easily re-elected as a Liberal-Progressive in the 1953 election
, defeating his Social Credit and Progressive Conservative opponents by a significant margin. He was again returned in the 1958 election
, which saw the defeat of the Campbell government as Dufferin Roblin
's Progressive Conservatives were able to form a minority administration
. Miller formally resigned his cabinet position on June 30, 1958.
Miller was re-elected in the 1959 provincial election
, defeating Progressive Conservative Leo Reckseidler by the reduced margin of 186 votes. He died later in the year.
Notwithstanding their name, Manitoba's Liberal-Progressives were to the right of the Progressive Conservatives, and governed the province in a conservative manner. Miller was a conservative figure in the Education portfolio, and regularly opposed calls for expanded school board areas. In 1956, he rejected outright a proposal for student loans.
Miller was considered to be one of the most dramatic speakers in the legislature, and regularly sparred with CCF leader Lloyd Stinson
He later had a school named in his honor in the town of Altona, Manitoba
. It is called W.C. Miller Collegiate, and is home to the Miller Aces.
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...
politician who 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 1959, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Douglas L. Campbell.
Born in Waterloo County
Waterloo County, Ontario
Waterloo County, created in 1853 and dissolved in 1973, was the forerunner of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Miller was educated at schools in Ontario and Manitoba, and also in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and 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...
. He worked as a real estate agent and Notary Public. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
in 1916, and served in France during 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...
. Twice wounded, he returned home for medical reasons in June 1918. From 1926 to 1936, Miller served as chair of the Gretna School Board. He was a director of the Manitoba Trustees Association from 1932 to 1940, and was its president in 1939-40. He was also a police magistrate from 1926 to 1928, and a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
from 1932 to 1936.
Miller 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...
for the a Conservative Party
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...
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...
, but lost to Howard Winkler of the Liberal Party
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...
by 520 votes, in the riding of Lisgar
Lisgar (electoral district)
Lisgarwas a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1988. This riding was created following the admission of Manitoba into the Canadian Confederation in 1870....
.
He was first 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...
. A 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:...
, he 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 :...
J.J. Enns by 358 votes in the constituency of Morden and Rhineland.
In 1940, the governing Liberal-Progressives formed an all-party coalition government with the Conservatives, CCF and Social Credit
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....
. Miller was re-elected in 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...
as a coalition Conservative, defeating three other pro-coalition candidates.
In early 1945, Miller resigned his seat to run for the Canadian House of Commons in 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...
. He again lost to Howard Winkler, this time by 295 votes.
The Morden & Rhineland seat had not been filled by the time of 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...
, which allowed Miller to declare his candidacy for the constituency again. Still running as a coalition Conservative, he defeated coalition Liberal-Progressive J.R. Walkof by a narrow margin. In the 1949 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1949
Manitoba's general election of November 10, 1949 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election pitted the province's coalition government, made up of the Liberal-Progressive Party and the Progressive Conservative Party, against a variety of...
, he was returned without opposition for the redistributed constituency of Rhineland.
When Douglas Campbell became Premier on December 14, 1948, he appointed Miller as his Provincial Secretary
Provincial Secretary (Manitoba)
The position of Provincial Secretary was particularly important in Manitoba from 1870 to 1874, as that province's institutions were being established. The province had no Premier during this period, and its Lieutenant-Governor acted as the de facto leaders of government...
. Miller retained this position until February 14, 1950, when he resigned to become Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Assembly.
The Progressive Conservative Party left the coalition government in the summer of 1950, to sit on the opposition benches. Though he had been known as a strongly partisan MLA, Miller opposed this opposition and left the Progressive Conservatives to sit with the Liberal-Progressives. He resigned as Speaker on August 15, 1950, and was re-appointed to cabinet the following day as Minister of Education.
Miller was easily re-elected as a Liberal-Progressive in the 1953 election
Manitoba general election, 1953
Manitoba's general election of June 8, 1953 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. This was the first election held in Manitoba after the breakup of a ten-year coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressives and Progressive Conservatives...
, defeating his Social Credit and Progressive Conservative opponents by a significant margin. He was again returned in the 1958 election
Manitoba general election, 1958
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...
, which saw the defeat of the Campbell government as Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin "Duff" Roblin, PC, CC, OM was a Canadian businessman and politician. Known as "Duff," he served as the 14th Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the government of Brian Mulroney, he served as...
's Progressive Conservatives were able to form a minority administration
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. Miller formally resigned his cabinet position on June 30, 1958.
Miller was re-elected in the 1959 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1959
Manitoba's general election of May 14, 1959 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a majority victory for the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin...
, defeating Progressive Conservative Leo Reckseidler by the reduced margin of 186 votes. He died later in the year.
Notwithstanding their name, Manitoba's Liberal-Progressives were to the right of the Progressive Conservatives, and governed the province in a conservative manner. Miller was a conservative figure in the Education portfolio, and regularly opposed calls for expanded school board areas. In 1956, he rejected outright a proposal for student loans.
Miller was considered to be one of the most dramatic speakers in the legislature, and regularly sparred with CCF leader Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he was unable to achieve a major electoral breakthrough for his party.Stinson was born in Treherne,...
He later had a school named in his honor in the town of Altona, Manitoba
Altona, Manitoba
Altona is a predominantly Mennonite town in southern Manitoba about 100 km south-west of Winnipeg and 133 km north of Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. Much of the surrounding area is devoted to farming and agriculture-based business. Its...
. It is called W.C. Miller Collegiate, and is home to the Miller Aces.