Stanley Schumacher
Stanley Stanford Schumacher QC (born June 12, 1933) is a politician from Alberta, Canada. He was speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
Stanley Schumacher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Palliser | |
| In office 1968–1979 | |
| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 12, 1933 Hanna, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Schumacher |
| Residence | Drumheller, Alberta, Canada |
| Profession | Barrister, Lawyer |
Early life
He was born in Hanna, Alberta to parents Louis and Gladys Schumacher. In 1968, he married Virginia Brodie, with whom he had two children, Sandra and David.
He attended school in Dorothy and Drumheller, Alberta, and went on to the University of British Columbia, where he received his Law Degree. He returned to Drumheller where he practised law.
Federal political career
Schumacher first ran for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the 1968 federal election, and was elected to represent Palliser in Alberta. He would serve three terms in the House of Commons.
As a result of redistribution before the 1979 federal election, the district of Palliser was abolished. Schumacher intended to seek his party's nomination in the new riding of Bow River, which included much of his old district, but was asked by party officials to step aside in favour of leader Joe Clark, whose own riding of Rocky Mountain had also been abolished. Although Tory officials offered him the nomination in another riding, Schumacher refused to stand down, forcing Clark to run in Yellowhead. In Bow River, Schumacher was challenged for the nomination by former Socred Gordon Taylor and lost in a controversial meeting in which Schumacher's supporters alleged that people who were not bona fide members of the party voted. Schumacher's former assistant, John Aimers, resigned from the party in January 1978 in protest, accusing the national executive engineering Schumacher's defeat.[1]
On February 28, 1978 Schumacher left the party and sat as an independent. In the election the following year, he ran in Bow River against Taylor and was defeated.
Provincial political career
In the 1986 Alberta general election Schumacher ran for the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta in Drumheller. He was elected and was soon appointed Deputy Speaker, a position he held until 1993. He then became Speaker of the Legislative Assembly after the retirement of David Carter. He retired from the Assembly after dissolution in 1997.[2]
Late life
After his career in the provincial legislature he served on the Alberta Surface Rights and Land Compensation boards where he eventually became Chairman.
In November 2012, Schumacher received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition for his public service contributions to Albertans and Canadians over the past 45+ years. Earlier he had received the Silver and Golden Jubilee Medals.
He is now practicing law with Schumacher, Gough, and Company and resides with his wife Virginia in Drumheller.
References
- Canadian Press (27 January 1978). "Ex-head of PC youth unit quits the party and will join Liberals". The Globe and Mail. p. A9.
- "Alberta Legislature Hansard: Biography of Alberta Speakers May 16, 2006" (PDF). Alberta Legislature. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
External links
| Parliament of Canada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New District |
Member of Parliament Palliser 1968-1979 |
Succeeded by District Abolished |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | ||
| Preceded by Lewis Clark |
MLA Drumheller 1986-1997 |
Succeeded by District Abolished |
| Preceded by David J. Carter |
Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly 1993-1997 |
Succeeded by Ken Kowalski |
