Jack Wiebe

John Edward Neil "Jack" Wiebe SOM (May 31, 1936 – April 16, 2007) was a Canadian farmer and politician. He served as a provincial politician, the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan and also as a Senator.

The Honourable Jack Wiebe SOM
Senator for Saskatchewan
In office April 7, 2000 – January 31, 2004
Nominated by	Jean Chrétien
18th Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
In office May 31, 1994 – February 21, 2000
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governors General	Ray Hnatyshyn Roméo LeBlanc Adrienne Clarkson
Premier	Roy Romanow
Preceded by	Sylvia Fedoruk
Succeeded by	Lynda Haverstock
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Morse
In office December 1, 1971 – October 18, 1978
Preceded by	Ross Thatcher
Succeeded by	Reginald John Gross
Personal details
Born	John Edward Neil Wiebe (1936-05-31)May 31, 1936 Herbert, Saskatchewan
Died	April 16, 2007(2007-04-16) (aged 70) Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Saskatchewan Liberal

Born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, Wiebe graduated from the University of Saskatchewan after which he founded a major farming operation in Main Centre and was owner and president of L&W Feeders Ltd. from 1970 to 1985.[1] He attended Luther College high school and graduated in 1953.

He was a third generation resident of Herbert. His great-grandfather, Jacob Wiebe, a Low German Mennonite, emigrated from Russia to Kansas in 1874. His grandfather, John F.D. Wiebe, settled in Saskatchewan in 1905 and became Herbert's first mayor when the community was incorporated as a township in 1912. His father, Herbert Wiebe, was elected mayor in 1928 and held the post until 1954.[2]

He was elected as a Liberal in a 1971 by-election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the constituency of Morse. He was re-elected in 1975 and retired from the legislature in 1978.[1]

From 1994 to 2000, he was Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, carrying out such duties as reading the Speech from the Throne, swearing in premiers and Cabinet ministers, opening legislative sessions, and bestowing honours upon Saskatchewan citizens.

In 2000, he was appointed by Jean Chrétien to the Senate representing the senatorial division of Saskatchewan. It was highly unusual for a former vice-regal representative to return to party politics so quickly. He sat as a federal Liberal and resigned in 2004, seven years before the mandatory retirement age, for family reasons.[1]

Upon his retirement, Wiebe volunteered his time with the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation, helping to raise millions of dollars to furnish the new regional hospital in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

Wiebe died on April 16, 2007, aged 70, from lung cancer. A state memorial service was held on April 24 in Swift Current.

Coat of arms of Jack Wiebe

Crest Issuant from a circle of prairie lily flowers proper a demi lion Gules wearing a coronet erablé Or bearing in the dexter paw a leek Vert; Escutcheon Azure three bends tapissé of wheat Or; Supporters On grassy hills Vert set behind a field of durum wheat Or rising above barry wavy Azure and Argent dexter a horse Argent unguled Or gorged with a coronet erablé Vert pendant therefrom a pomeis charged with a representation of the mace of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Saskatchewan Or sinister a deer Argent attired and unguled Or gorged with the same collar and pendant; Motto FROM FAMILY TO COMMUNITY [3]