In 1929, the long run of the Liberals winning elections dating back to 1905 came to an end when the Conservatives won their first election. At the head of the party was James Milton Anderson, the first Conservative premier of Saskatchewan, and also one of the most controversial.
But we will get to that.
James Milton Anderson was born on July 23, 1878 in Fairbank, Ontario.
After his schooling, he trained as a teacher and taught for six years in Ontario before moving to Western Canada in 1906. His first teaching job in the west was in Manitoba, followed by stops in Melville and Grenfell, Saskatchewan. It was in Grenfell he met and married Edith Redgewick, with whom he had two children.
In 1911, Anderson was appointed the inspector of schools for schools in and around Yorkton. He remained in that position until 1918.
During his time as an inspector of schools, he also continued his own education, earning a law degree from the University of Manitoba and a doctorate in pedagogy from the University of Toronto. For good measure, he also learned to speak Icelandic.
The year his time as an inspector of schools ended, he wrote The Education of the New Canadian, his only book. The book caught the notice of the Saskatchewan government and he was hired as a director of education responsible for ensuring that new arrivals to Saskatchewan, especially from eastern Europe, obeyed the law and educate in English.
Overall, Anderson enjoyed his job but was removed from his position in 1922, something that not only changed his life, but the future of the province himself. After he was let go, he began to teach at the Saskatoon Normal School.
Around this same time, the Conservative Party was having a tough time in provincial politics. They had no official leader. Since 1905, the party had never won more than 14 seats, and that was in 1908. At the time, the party had only two seats in the Legislature.
It was into this environment that Anderson arrived in March 1924 when a convention was held. At that convention, Anderson was chosen to be the new leader.
One year later, Anderson led the party into the 1925 election. In that election, Anderson was elected in his riding, and two other members were elected. Not a great showing, but better than the previous election.
Over the next four years, Anderson worked to rebuild the party, enlisting the support of a new Conservative newspaper operating out of Regina.
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix wrote,
“Handsome and well-built, with a powerful voice, fluent oratory and a magnetic platform personality, Dr. Anderson was an effective speaker and a master of crowds.”
By 1929, the Liberals had been in power for 24 years and weathered several storms and a few scandals.
During the election campaign, Anderson and the Conservatives exploited patronage scandals that were plaguing the Liberal government.
The Ottawa Journal wrote,
“Past political contests in Saskatchewan have often been tame affairs, with the result scarcely in doubt.”
The day of the election, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King wrote in his diary,
“The returns of the Saskatchewan election came in, and it looked as the Gardiner were going to have a very hard time, they did not improve much as the evening went on.”
In the election, the Liberals won with 28 seats, but it was a minority government and the Conservatives surged with 24 seats. This was a huge breakthrough and more seats than the party won in the previous four elections combined. Anderson easily won his riding with an astounding 9,668 votes.
Throughout the election campaign and the bringing down of the government, there were accusations that Anderson and the Conservatives were working with the Klu Klux Klan in Saskatchewan. At the time, the KKK was a major force in the provinces with an estimated 25,000 members.
The Ottawa Journal wrote,
“In the background is the shadow of the Klu Klux Klan, still active but less so than a year ago. The voting may reveal the strength of this society to date an unknown quantity, in constituencies where the religious and school controversies are hottest.”
One man who left the KKK, Pat Emmons, stated that Anderson met with Klan officials on a regular basis. The Klan also went to several of the election rallies for Premier James Gardiner and burned crosses. The provincial treasurer of the Klan in Saskatchewan was also Walter Davy Cowan, who would go on to become a Conservative Member of Parliament for Long Lake from 1930 to 1935.
Unlike in the United States, the KKK in Saskatchewan was not focused on Blacks but on immigration, Catholics and Francophones.
On Sept. 6, 1929 at 12:35 a.m., the Liberals were defeated in a non-confidence motion. The Conservatives, Independents and Progressives came together to vote in favour of a motion of want of confidence in the government. Prior to the vote, Premier James Gardiner spoke for two straight hours to emphasize the responsibility the Independents and the Progressives had in voting. After he finished speaking, he received a round of applause from every member of the house.
As soon as the government fell, Anderson went across the floor to shake the hand of Gardiner.
Soon after the government fell, Anderson formed a co-operative government through a coalition with the Progressives and Independents. He said of his alliance with the other parties,
“I never asked on of these men personally to support me but I hope I shall deserve the confidence and loyalty they have shown me.”
Gardiner said,
“I wish to state on this occasion that we as members of what will be in the next Legislature the Opposition in this house, intend to attempt to function in opposition in the same manner as we have functioned while on this side of the House and to put forth every effort to see the business of the province is promoted in the best interests of the province.”
Anderson continued to deny any association with the Klan, but when he came to power as premier, he took over the Minister of Education portfolio. His proposed amendments to the Schools Act included outlawing religious symbols in all schools, including Catholic, and banning the instruction of French in any public school.
He said of the new laws that were highly criticized in Quebec,
“I am deeply amazed to find the attitude taken by the press of Quebec toward the Government of Saskatchewan and myself. It is quite evident from the expression of opinion contained in the columns of the press of the eastern provinces that writers of these articles are not familiar with the conditions existing in Saskatchewan.”
Within his first year as premier, Anderson dealt with tragedy. On June 20, 1930, his father, who lived in Saltcoats, Saskatchewan, disappeared. Over 150 men searched through the countryside to find him. They eventually found him in the wilderness after 12 hours. He was laying on the ground, weakened, and had apparently become lost in the night. Within six months, Anderson’s father was dead. He was found unconscious on Dec. 3, 1930 and was in a coma for the next three days until he passed away at the age of 78.
Anderson had come to power just as the Liberals federally were hitting a rough patch because of The Great Depression. With R.B. Bennett leading the federal Conservatives, it was expected they would win the federal election of 1930. On June 21, 1930, Anderson stated that the Liberals would not win more than six seats in his province in the election. He was a bit off on that. The party won 12 seats in the province, while the Conservatives won only seven.
During his time as premier, Anderson established a public service commission, passed new labour legislation and began an ambitious highway construction program.
He had the misfortune of coming to power when The Great Depression was beginning, and Saskatchewan was the worst hit province in Canada by the Depression. To deal with the worst impact of the Depression, his government created the Saskatchewan Relief Commission to administer relief programs in the province.
In addition to that, the Conservatives established a moratorium on sales of land to pay municipal taxes, protected the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, established a Debt Adjustment Board and put in new systems to maintain standards in health. His government also offered relief from royalty payments for farm-raised fur-bearing animals under the Saskatchewan Fur Act.
On Aug. 2, 1933, Anderson’s mother died. Her death was unexpected, despite being 83, as she was in excellent health and had just been visited by Anderson a few days previous.
In 1934, the Conservatives and Anderson went to the electorate again in the provincial election.
The election of June 19, 1934, was a disaster for the Conservatives. They lost every single seat in the election and would not become a major party in the province again for another 40 years. The Conservatives did not win another seat in the Legislature until 1964 when they won one. The party did not return to power until 1982 when they won 55 seats in the election.
The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix reported,
“Premier J.T.M. Anderson is indicated today, was anxious to turn over the reins of Government to Premier-elect James Gardiner as quickly as possible.”
One of the first things Premier Gardiner did was repeal the schools act that Anderson had brought into place.
After the crushing defeat, Anderson retired from politics and managed Crown Life Insurance Company’s northern Saskatchewan branch.
In 1944, he was appointed the acting superintendent of the School of the Deaf in Saskatoon.
On Christmas Day in 1946, Anderson suddenly fell ill and went into a coma.
Anderson died on Dec. 29, 1946 at the age of 68 in Saskatoon.
