George Edward Olive (born 1887 in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

; died April 20, 1973) was a politician in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, Canada. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

from 1945 to 1953, as a member of the social-democratic

Cooperative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialistThe follo ...

(CCF). Olive came to Canada in 1910. He settled in

Transcona Transcona is a ward and suburb of Winnipeg, Manitoba, located about east of the downtown area. Until 1972, it was a separate municipality, having been incorporated first as the Town of Transcona on 6 April 1912 and then as the City of Tr ...

, then an independent working-class community adjoining but independent of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

, in 1914. He was a member of the United Association of Steamfitters and Plumbers, working for the Canadian National Railway. He served as a member of the local school board, and was elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Transcona in 1936, a position he continued to hold after being elected to the provincial legislature. He married Amy Thackray (1888–1955), and they had two sons, Bill and Joe, both of whom served overseas in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

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 ...

. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election, defeating former

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 ...

leader

Murdoch Mackay Murdoch Mackay (April 30, 1884 – 1963) was a Manitoba politician. He led the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1931 to 1932, and brought the party into an alliance with John Bracken's Progressives. Mackay was born on Boularderie Island, Nova Scotia, ...

in the constituency of Springfield. He was re-elected in Kildonan—Transcona in the 1949 election, defeating Liberal-Progressive candidate M. J. G. McMullen by just under 900 votes. Olive was not a frequent debater in the legislature, but was known as a diligent worker and was said to have extensive knowledge of every bill that came before the house. CCF leader

Lloyd Stinson Lloyd Cleworth Stinson (February 29, 1904 – August 28, 1976) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he ...

once called him "a most useful and cooperative member of caucus", assisting other members behind the scenes. He sought the Kildonan—Transcona CCF nomination again for the 1953 provincial election, but lost to

Russell Paulley Andrew Russell Paulley (November 3, 1909 – May 19, 1984) was a Canadian politician. He served as leader of the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1959 to 1961, and its successor, the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, fro ...

, who was mayor of Transcona by this time. Olive accepted the result, and agreed to work as Paulley's election agent. He lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

after his retirement and later died in Winnipeg. George Olive Nature Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, commemorates him. Previously, the site hosted a dump for industrial byproducts and a pond for horses. It was rehabilitated into a nature park in the 1990s and opened as such in 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olive, George 1887 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Canadian politicians English emigrants to Canada Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLAs Mayors of places in Manitoba Politicians from Leeds Trade unionists from Leeds Trade unionists from Manitoba