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

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta. He was the mayor at the time that Alberta became a province of Canada, which was on September 1, 1905. Born in England, 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. After spending three years on Calgary City Council, 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, and several

Governors General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. Emerson would lead the unsuccessful Calgary delegation to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

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 William Henry Cushing (August 21, 1852 – January 25, 1934) was a Canadian politician. Born in Ontario, he migrated west as a young adult where he started a successful lumber company and later became Alberta's first Minister of Public Works and ...

, and W. M. Davidson. Emerson retired to

Burgess Hill Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, England. He died there in 1932.

References

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