John Coleman Calhoun (March 1871 – September 28, 1950)
was a politician in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada and a municipal councillor in
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 ...
.
Biography
Calhoun was born in 1871
in
Albert County, New Brunswick
Albert County (2016 population 29,158) is New Brunswick's third-youngest county located on the Western side of the Petitcodiac River on the Chignecto Bay in the Bay of Fundy. Prior to the abolition of county government in 1967, the shire town w ...
, where he remained until he moved to
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
in 1885. He stayed there for ten years before moving to Alberta to engage in ranching and fur trading. He moved to Edmonton in 1895 where he worked in real estate and
horse trading
Horse trading, in its literal sense, is the buying and selling of horses, also called "horse dealing". Due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of a horse offered for sale, the sale of horses offered great opportunities for dishonesty, l ...
.
In 1906, he built the King Edward Hotel, which would become Edmonton's leading hotel after a 1910 expansion.
Calhoun made his first bid for elected office in the
1905 election, when finished ninth out of ten candidates for alderman, thus missing out on any of the four seats available. However, on May 7, 1906,
John R. Boyle
John Robert Boyle, (February 1, 1870 or February 3, 1871 – February 15, 1936) was a Canadian politician and jurist who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, a cabinet minister in the Government of Alberta, and a judge on ...
resigned from
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
, and Calhoun was elected to finish his term (which ran until December of that year). He did not seek re-election, but did run in the
1907 election, once he was a year removed from office. He was a part of a group of city businessmen that acquired the first
gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
franchise for the city.
He finished ninth of twelve, and did not try to re-enter politics again.
Calhoun sold the King Edward Hotel in 1940, and retired, splitting his time between a home in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and his home in Edmonton. Calhoun died in an Edmonton hospital on September 28, 1950.
He was survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters and was cremated shortly after his funeral service.
John Calhoun was a long-time member of the
Independent Order of Foresters
The Independent Order of Foresters, operating as Foresters Financial, is a fraternal benefit society headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that provides life insurance and other financial solutions in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United ...
.
References
Edmonton Public Library biography of John CalhounCity of Edmonton biography of John Calhoun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, John
1871 births
1950 deaths
People from Albert County, New Brunswick
Businesspeople from Edmonton
Canadian ranchers
Canadian fur traders
Edmonton city councillors
Canadian hoteliers