Ambrose Holowach (July 22, 1914 – February 27, 1993) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

businessman, soldier during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, member of the Canadian Parliament and member of the Alberta legislative assembly.

Family

Ambrose's father, Sam, was an ethnically Ukrainian immigrant from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Same homesteaded east of Edmonton before moving into the city to start a laundry business. Ambrose's brother Walter studied violin in Vienna and played in the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. A horse chestnut tree was planted behind the family business from seed brought from Vienna by Walter. It became a local landmark known as the "Holowach Tree"; saved from redevelopment in 1998, it was still standing .

Federal political career

Holowach first ran for a seat in the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate of the Social Credit party in the 1949 federal election. He was defeated by

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate Albert Frederick Macdonald. Holowach ran again in the 1953 federal election and this time defeated Macdonald. He remained an MP until Progressive Conservative candidate William Skoreyko defeated him in the 1958 federal election.

Provincial political career

Before he became an MP, Holowach ran for a seat in the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sin ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. He ran in the seven-member electoral district of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. In the First Count he came in sixth, but without the quota required to win a seat. He would have won a seat if his vote total had increased adequately through transfers conducted under STV, but he received fewer vote transfers than another SC candidate - Edgar Gerhart - who was elected instead of Holowach. He made another attempt at entering the Alberta Legislature after losing his seat in the House of Commons. He was elected in the

Edmonton Centre Edmonton Centre (french: Edmonton-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and since 2004. Geography The riding is anchored in the heart of Down ...

district in the 1959 general election. In 1962, Premier

Ernest Manning Ernest Charles Manning, (September 20, 1908 – February 19, 1996), a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any other premier in Alberta's histor ...

appointed him to the

Executive Council of Alberta The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typica ...

; he became Provincial Secretary. In 1964 he attracted much attention when he said in the legislature that he didn't think Alberta needed a distinct flag. Shortly before the 1971 general election, he was appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Recreation by Premier

Harry Strom Harry Edwin Strom (July 7, 1914 – October 2, 1984) was the ninth premier of Alberta, from 1968 to 1971. His two-and-a-half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six-year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its r ...

. At the 1971 election, Holowach left the Edmonton Centre district and ran for re-election in the Edmonton-Highlands district. He lost to Progressive Conservative candidate David Thomas King. Holowach ran against King again in the 1975 election but was again defeated.

References

External links

*
Legislative Assembly of Alberta Membership ListingAmbrose Holowach death notice Legislative Assembly of Alberta Hansard April 21, 1993
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holowach, Ambrose 1914 births 1993 deaths Alberta Social Credit Party MLAs Canadian military personnel of World War II Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta Politicians from Edmonton Social Credit Party of Canada MPs Canadian people of Ukrainian descent