Alvin Hamilton

Francis Alvin George Hamilton, PC (March 30, 1912  June 29, 2004) was a Canadian politician. Hamilton led the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan from 1949 until he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1957 general election. That election brought the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to power under John Diefenbaker. He served as Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources, 1957 to 1960. He promoted a new vision of northern development. He was Minister of Agriculture, 1960 to 1963, where he promoted wheat sales to China.[1]

Alvin Hamilton
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Qu'Appelle—Moose Mountain
In office
October 30, 1972  November 20, 1988
Preceded byRichard Southam
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Qu'Appelle
In office
June 10, 1957  June 24, 1968
Preceded byHenry Mang
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
Personal details
Born
Francis Alvin George Hamilton

(1912-03-30)March 30, 1912
Kenora, Ontario, Canada
DiedJune 29, 2004(2004-06-29) (aged 92)
Manotick, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative
EducationUniversity of Saskatchewan
OccupationSoldier, politician

Life and career

Born in Kenora, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938 from the University of Saskatchewan. During World War II, he served with the Royal Canadian Air Force as a navigator and flight lieutenant. He was awarded the Burma Star Decoration.

After the war, he ran three times unsuccessfully as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the Canadian House of Commons in the 1945, 1949, and 1953 elections. He was elected in 1957 in the riding of Qu'Appelle and re-elected 4 more times in 1958, 1962, 1963, and 1965. He ran in the riding of Regina East in the 1968 federal election, and lost by 192 votes to the New Democrat candidate. He was elected again in the 1972 federal election in the riding of Qu'Appelle—Moose Mountain and was re-elected 4 more times in 1974, 1979, 1980, and 1984. He retired in 1988.

Hamilton served as Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources in the Diefenbaker cabinet from 1957 to 1960, supporting a new vision of northern development. From 1960 to the 1963 election, when the Diefenbaker government was defeated, Hamilton served as Minister of Agriculture, pioneering wheat sales to the People's Republic of China. He was a candidate at the 1967 PC leadership convention, making it to the fourth ballot before dropping out.

In 1992, Hamilton was granted the honorific style of "The Right Honourable" by Elizabeth II in honour of his service to Canada. This is a rare honour for someone who did not serve as Prime Minister of Canada, Chief Justice of Canada or Governor General of Canada.

After Hamilton retired from politics in 1988, he lived a relatively secluded life in the Ottawa-area town of Manotick, where he lived until his death in 2004. On June 28, 2007, the newly refurbished Government of Canada Building in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, was officially named the Francis Alvin George Hamilton Building. Also, one of the reception rooms at the Embassy of Canada to China in Beijing is called the Alvin Hamilton Room.

Further reading

  • Kyba, Patrick (1989). Alvin: a biography of the Honourable Alvin Hamilton, P.C.. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center. ISBN 978-0-88977-056-0. OCLC 21041688.
  • Mitcham, Chad J., China's Economic Relations with the West and Japan: Grain, Trade and Diplomacy, 1949–79, Routledge, New York and London, 2005.
  • Alvin Hamilton fonds at Library and Archives Canada.

Electoral record

1965 Canadian federal election: Qu'Appelle
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Hamilton9,57957.5-2.6
LiberalCharlie Lenz4,03324.2-0.1
New DemocraticClif Argue2,65816.0+4.5
Social CreditWilfred Totten3752.3-1.9
Total valid votes 16,645 100.0
1963 Canadian federal election: Qu'Appelle
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Hamilton10,69060.2+1.7
LiberalL.L. Prefontaine4,31224.3+0.8
New DemocraticNorman Kennedy2,02811.4-0.6
Social CreditEdwin Fredlund7294.1-2.0
Total valid votes 17,759100.0
1962 Canadian federal election: Qu'Appelle
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Hamilton10,68058.5-0.6
LiberalL.L. Prefontaine4,29123.5-1.0
New DemocraticHarry E. Richardson2,18812.0-4.5
Social CreditHerman A. Hauser1,1136.1 
Total valid votes 18,272100.0

Note: NDP vote is compared to CCF vote in 1958 election.

1958 Canadian federal election: Qu'Appelle
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Hamilton10,51459.0+24.8
LiberalThomas Kearns4,35724.5-5.9
Co-operative CommonwealthNorman Kennedy2,94116.5-7.1
Total valid votes 17,812100.0
1957 Canadian federal election: Qu'Appelle
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Hamilton6,21734.2+7.1
LiberalHenry Philip Mang5,51230.4-8.1
Co-operative CommonwealthNorman Kennedy4,27923.6-7.3
Social CreditDavid Isman2,15011.8+8.3
Total valid votes 18,158 100.0
1953 Canadian federal election: Qu'Appelle
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalHenry Philip Mang6,98838.5-6.3
Co-operative CommonwealthLawrence Irwin Hockley5,61230.9-7.0
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Hamilton4,93027.1+9.7
Social CreditAnton Edward Kovatch6443.5
Total valid votes 18,174100.0

References

  1. Kyba, 1989.
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