John Emerson (June 4, 1859 – July 25, 1932) was the 15th mayor of Calgary,

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 ...

. He was the mayor at the time that Alberta became a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, which was on September 1, 1905. Born in

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 ...

, Emerson emigrated to Calgary in 1885 and began farming on a homestead just outside the city limits. Soon he left farming and established a successful grocery business on

Stephen Avenue Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The mall is the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The street is known for some of C ...

. After spending three years on

Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...

, Emerson spent two years as mayor from January 2, 1905 to January 14, 1907. During his tenure as mayor, Calgary hosted a number of prominent visitors. This included: The Prince of Wales (later George V),

Prince Arthur of Connaught Prince Arthur of Connaught (Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert; 13 January 1883 – 12 September 1938) was a British military officer and a grandson of Queen Victoria. He served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 20 November 1920 ...

, and several Governors General. Emerson would lead the unsuccessful Calgary delegation to Ottawa on February 2, 1905 to lobby for Calgary to be named the capital of the new province of Alberta. Emerson would be joined by Major James Walker, William Henry Cushing, and W. M. Davidson. Emerson retired to Burgess Hill, Sussex,

. He died there in 1932.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, John 1859 births 1932 deaths Mayors of Calgary Calgary city councillors 20th-century Canadian politicians