James Gordon Taggart

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(September 28, 1892 – June 11, 1974) was a civil servant, educator and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He represented

Swift Current Swift Current is the fifth largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 6.8% between 2011 and 2016, ending up at ...

from 1934 to 1944 as a

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 ...

. He was born in

Parrsboro, Nova Scotia Parrsboro is a community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada. A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions, and the ...

and raised in

River Hebert The River Hebert is a small tidal river that empties into the Cumberland Basin (Canada), Cumberland Basin, and is contained completely within Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. According to estimates by the Province o ...

. He received his primary and junior matriculation at the local grade school in River Hebert, followed by post-secondary studies at the

Nova Scotia Agricultural College Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) was a publicly owned Canadian university college (founded 14 February 1905 and administered within the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture) located at Bible Hill, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Agricultura ...

and then the

Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...

. Taggart was principal of the School of Agriculture in

Vermilion, Alberta Vermilion is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Vermilion River. It is at the intersection of Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) and Highway 41 (Buffalo Trail), approximately west of Lloydminster and east of Ed ...

before entering the federal public service and becoming superintendent of the Swift Current Dominion Experimental Farm for the Department of Agriculture. Taggart was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

under the ministry of Premier

William John Patterson William John Patterson (May 13, 1886 – June 10, 1976) was a Liberal politician and the sixth premier of Saskatchewan from 1935 to 1944. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 1921 election. He succeeded James ...

and served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Agriculture. Following his tenure in provincial politics, Taggart served as Deputy Minister for the federal Department of Agriculture from 1949 to 1959. He was invested as a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. He died in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. In 1976, Taggart has been named to the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.

References

Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs 1892 births 1974 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia Canadian educators Nova Scotia Agricultural College alumni Ontario Agricultural College alumni {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub