William Aberhart | |
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![]() Aberhart in 1937 | |
7th Premier of Alberta | |
In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943 | |
Monarchs | George V Edward VIII George VI |
Lieutenant Governor | William L. Walsh Philip Primrose John C. Bowen |
Preceded by | Richard Gavin Reid |
Succeeded by | Ernest Manning |
Alberta Minister of Education | |
In office September 3, 1935 – May 23, 1943 | |
Preceded by | Perren Baker |
Succeeded by | Solon Earl Low |
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
In office March 21, 1940 – May 23, 1943 | |
Constituency | Calgary |
In office November 4, 1935 – March 21, 1940 | |
Preceded by | William Morrison |
Succeeded by | John Broomfield |
Constituency | Okotoks-High River |
Personal details | |
Born | Kippen, Ontario, Canada | December 30, 1878
Died | May 23, 1943 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | (aged 64)
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Burnaby), Canada |
Political party | Social Credit |
Spouse | Jessie Flatt |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Occupation | Educator, evangelist |
Signature | ![]() |
William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as "Bible Bill" for his radio sermons about the Bible, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943.[1] He was the founder and first leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party, which believed the Great Depression was caused by ordinary people not having enough to spend. Therefore, Aberhart argued that the government should give each Albertan $25 per month to spend to stimulate the economy, by providing needed purchasing power to allow needy customers to buy from waiting businesses.
During his premiership, Aberhart campaigned for and instituted several anti-poverty and debt relief programs, and other governmental reforms, such as consolidation of Alberta's numerous small school districts into centralized school divisions, and natural resources conservation. His attempts at banking reform met with less success, facing strong opposition from the federal government, the courts, privately owned newspapers and a coalition of the Liberal and Conservative parties. Aberhart's government did successfully establish the Alberta Treasury Branches (now ATB Financial), a government-owned financial institution to provide an alternative to existing banks, which continues to operate as a Crown corporation of the Alberta government.