Arthur Wray

Arthur Henry Wray (September 13, 1906 – December 1, 1993) was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1944 to 1952. He first sat with the governing Social Credit caucus and then as an Independent in 1946 after he was expelled.

Arthur Henry Wray
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
July 8, 1944 – August 5, 1952
Preceded byFrank Laut
Succeeded byLee Leavitt
ConstituencyBanff-Cochrane
Personal details
BornSeptember 13, 1906
Port Colborne, Ontario
DiedDecember 1, 1993(1993-12-01) (aged 87)
Political partySocial Credit
Independent Social Credit
Occupationpolitician

Political career

Wray ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the 1944 Alberta general election as a Social Credit candidate. He won the electoral district of Banff-Cochrane in a tight race defeating Independent incumbent Frank Laut. Wray was trailing in second place on the first count. The second choice preferences of Co-operative Commonwealth candidate D. MacGregor put Wray ahead of Laut and gave him a slim majority to pick up the district for his party.[1]

The winter of 1946 would bring a series of terrific snow storms to the town of Cochrane, Alberta. The storms paralyzed the town and the areas to north, causing school children to miss 63 out of 114 school days.[2] Wray lobbied Public Work's minister William Fallow to begin clearing the provincial main and secondary highways that became impassable outside of the town. Fallow refused to give any priority to Cochrane and said the government does not clear secondary highways.[3] He dismissed a delegation from the town including Wray who went to Edmonton to meet with the minister.[2]

Wray lost the battle with the cabinet to clear the roads. He continued to be a Social Credit government supporter but tensions between him and his caucus and the ministry began to rise. This came to a head in February 1947 when the Assembly moved and voted on a motion forcing Wray to cross the floor to the opposition benches. Speaker Peter Dawson forced Wray to move by not recognizing him as a speaker in the debate because he wasn't at his desk which was now on the opposition side. Wray took his desk in protest but failed in his bid to return to the government side of the house. He was forced to move a second time when the Army, Navy, Airforce caucus objected to Wray sitting with them. He was moved to the other end of the opposition benches to sit with Veterans' and Active Force MLA William J. Williams.

Wray would run for re-election in the 1948 Alberta general election as an Independent Social Credit candidate. He would face Laut and former Cochrane MLA William King. The election was hotly contested with Wray finishing second on the first ballot. The elimination of King gave Wray enough second choice votes to finish ahead of Laut and hold his district.[4]

Wray would run for a third term in the 1952 Alberta general election. He would be easily defeated by Social Credit candidate Lee Leavitt finishing a very distant third place.[5]

Wray would run once more for a seat as an Independent candidate in the Calgary electoral district in the 1955 Alberta general election. He would be not be much of a contender finishing very distant in the field of candidates.[6]

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References
  1. "Banff-Cochrane Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  2. "Given Bum's Rush". Vol. XXXIX No. 59. The Lethbridge Herald. February 20, 1944. p. 3.
  3. "Keeping Main Roads Open Chief Concern". Vol XXXIX No. 39. The Lethbridge Herald. January 28, 1946. p. 1.
  4. "Banff-Cochrane Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  5. "Banff-Cochrane Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  6. "Calgary Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
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