Ernest Julian Cole (1916 – November 9, 2000) was an engineer and politician who served as mayor of
Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan from 1965 to 1966. He was the first Saskatoon mayor born in Saskatchewan.
Early years and career
Cole was born in
Anerley, Saskatchewan
Anerley is an unincorporated community in the western region of Saskatchewan located about 4 km north of Highway 44, about 20 km southwest of the Outlook and is about 125 km south west of Saskatoon.
History
Anerley before t ...
and was educated in
Conquest
Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms.
Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
and at the
Saskatoon Normal School
The Saskatoon Teachers' College, originally called the Saskatoon Normal School, was a facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada for training teachers.
The school occupied temporary premises at first, then moved to a handsome brick and stone build ...
. He went on to study Engineering at the
University of Saskatchewan.
Cole served in the
Royal Canadian Engineers
The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; french: links=no, Génie militaire canadien) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engi ...
during the
Second World War. His career after the war included six years at the
National Research Council in Ottawa and one year with
Power Corporation in
Montreal. In 1956, he became assistant engineer for the City of Saskatoon.
Political career
Cole ran for mayor in 1964 despite having no experience with City Council. He ran a campaign based on reducing capital expenditures.
When he was elected, upsetting incumbent
Percy Klaehn
Percy Carl Klaehn (1896 – May 8, 1984) was a Canadian educator, soldier, and politician who served as mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from 1963 to 1964.
Early life and career
Klaehn was born in Valleyfield, Quebec and came west with his famil ...
, he was only the second person after
Angus W. MacPherson to become mayor without first serving on
Council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
.
He also became the first mayor to have been born in the province.
He was defeated in his 1966 re-election attempt by former mayor
Sidney Buckwold
Sidney Labe Buckwold, (November 3, 1916 – June 27, 2001) was a Canadian politician, soldier, and businessman. Buckwold served as a Senator for 20 years and as mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for 11 years in two separate tenures.
Early l ...
. Later that year, Cole returned to Ottawa to work for the federal
Department of Public Works.
Personal life and
Cole and his wife Mary, had a son and a daughter. Mary died in 1966. Cole Avenue in the
Westview neighbourhood of Saskatoon was named in his honour.
See also
*
List of mayors of Saskatoon
References
External links
*
1916 births
2000 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Canada
Mayors of Saskatoon
Canadian Army personnel of World War II
Canadian military personnel from Saskatchewan
Royal Canadian Engineers soldiers
University of Saskatchewan alumni
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