Vernor Smith

Vernor Winfield Smith (February 17, 1864 – July 19, 1932) was a politician in Alberta, Canada who served as the province's Minister of Railways and Telephones from 1921 until 1932. Born in 1864 in Prince Edward Island, he moved to British Columbia in 1883 where he worked for several railway companies as an accountant. In 1915 he moved to Camrose, Alberta to become a farmer. The same year, he married Lily Bury, with whom he would have five children.[1]

For the Canadian musician born Vernor Smith IV, see Mac DeMarco.

Vernor Smith
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office July 18, 1921 – July 19, 1932
Preceded by	George P. Smith
Succeeded by	Chester Ronning
Constituency	Camrose
Alberta Minister of Railways and Telephones
In office August 31, 1921 – July 19, 1932
Preceded by	Charles Stewart
Personal details
Born	Vernor Winfield Smith (1864-02-17)February 17, 1864 Prince Edward Island
Died	July 19, 1932(1932-07-19) (aged 68) Edmonton, Alberta
Political party	United Farmers of Alberta
Spouse(s)	Lily Bury
Children	5
Occupation	Accountant, farmer
Signature

Smith contested the 1921 provincial election in the riding of Camrose for the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), where he received 56% of the vote and defeated incumbent Liberal George P. Smith.[2] The UFA, which had never before run candidates in an election, won a surprise victory in 1921, and new premier Herbert Greenfield appointed Smith to his cabinet as Minister of Railways and Telephones.[3] In this capacity, Smith was responsible for dealing with a number of money-losing railways, including the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (ED&BC), that had fallen into the government's hands as a result of the collapse of the syndicates that had built them. He favoured government ownership of these railways, while Greenfield supported selling them to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Smith did not like the CPR, and in 1923 publicly accused it of dereliction of duty in relation to a contract it held to recondition the ED&BC; Greenfield apologized to the CPR in the legislature on behalf of the government, opening a rift between him and his minister. One independent member of the legislative assembly speculated that "if the farmer members of the House took a vote between Greenfield and Smith" on the issue, "they would certainly take Smith."[4] Indeed, the issue was one of several leading the UFA to caucus to pressure Greenfield to resign in favour of his Attorney-General, John Edward Brownlee, which he did in 1925.[5]

Resolving the railways question was one of Brownlee's top priorities, and in early 1926 he and Smith travelled to Ottawa, where they met with federal Minister of Railways Charles Avery Dunning in an unsuccessful effort to persuade him that the federal government should take over the railways. Next they travelled to Montreal, where they reached an agreement with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to acquire its shares in the ED&BC, originally valued at $2 million, for $1.3 million; this gave the government full ownership of the railway and the flexibility to sell, lease, or operate it without requiring the consent of the RBC. Still in Montreal, Brownlee and Smith made offers to sell the railway to both the CPR and the Canadian National Railway (CNR).[6] Neither was interested, and on returning to Edmonton Smith repeated his recommendation for direct government operation of the railways. Brownlee proved more receptive to the idea than Greenfield had, and the government appointed John Callaghan—a business acquaintance of Smith's and a successful railway contractor—as Superintendent of Railways.[7] Callaghan was successful in converting the railways to profit-making ventures, and in 1928 one of the smaller lines, the Lacombe and North Western, was sold to the CPR for $1.5 million.[8] The following year, the CPR purchased all remaining lines for $25 million.[9]

Vernor Smith was re-elected in the 1926 and 1930 elections, and remained Minister of Railways and Telephones.[1] On July 19, 1932, Smith dropped dead at his Edmonton home while preparing to meet his family at his summer cottage at Pigeon Lake. He had been suffering from angina pectoris for years and had succumbed to the condition.[10]

Vernor Smith's great grandson is musician Mac DeMarco, whose birth name—Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV—was chosen in honour of the elder Smith.[11]

Electoral record

1921 Alberta general election: Camrose
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Farmers	Vernor Smith	3,040	55.97%	+19.78%[lower-alpha 1]
	Liberal	George P. Smith	2,391	44.03%	-19.78%
Total valid votes			5,431	100.00%
Eligible voters / Turnout			6,282	86.45%	+14.04%[lower-alpha 2]
	United Farmers gain from Liberal		Swing		+19.78%
Source(s) "Election results for Camrose, 1921". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-09-23.

1. United Farmers swing is compared to the Nonpartisan League result in the 1917 by-election.
2. Turnout is compared to the 1917 general election.

Alberta provincial by-election, December 9, 1921: Camrose
Party		Candidate	Votes
	United Farmers	Vernor Smith	Acclaimed
Source(s) Source: "Past By-Elections". Elections Alberta. Retrieved 2015-06-30.

1926 Alberta general election: Camrose
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Farmers	Vernor Smith	2,872	71.96%	+15.99%
	Liberal	W. A. Cunningham	567	14.21%	-29.82
	Conservative	J. A. Code	300	7.52%
	Liberal–Progressive	A. D. Campbell	252	6.31%
Total valid votes			3,991	100.00%
Eligible voters / Turnout			6,847	58.29%	-28.16%
	United Farmers hold		Swing		+22.91%
Source(s) "Election results for Camrose, 1926". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-09-23.

1930 Alberta general election: Camrose
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Farmers	Vernor Smith	3,137	58.07%	-13.89%
	Liberal	S. M. Westvick	2,086	41.93%	+27.72%
Total valid votes			5,223	100.00%
Rejected, spoiled and declined			179
Eligible voters / Turnout			6,914	78.13%	+19.84%
	United Farmers hold		Swing		-20.81%
Source(s) "Election results for Camrose, 1930". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-09-23.

Notes

1. "Vernor W. Smith fonds". Glenbow Archives. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
2. "Election results for Camrose, 1921". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
3. Foster 60
4. Jones 68–69
5. Foster 115
6. Foster 120
7. Foster 135
8. Foster 144
9. Foster 152
10. "Hon. Vernor Smith, Railway Minister, Passes Away Suddenly". Vol XXV No 186. The Lethbridge Herald. July 20, 1932. p. 1.
11. Sharp, Elliott (October 29, 2013). "The Big Story: 2 Sketchy Days With Mac DeMarco". Red Bull Music. Red Bull. Retrieved 2014-11-17.

References

• Foster, Franklin L. (1981). John E. Brownlee: A Biography. Lloydminster, Alberta: Foster Learning Inc. ISBN 978-1-55220-004-9.
• Jones, David C. (2004). "Herbert Greenfield". In Bradford J. Rennie (ed.). Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. ISBN 0-88977-151-0.