John Archibald Maharg (February 2, 1872 – November 23, 1944) was a

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 ...

politician. Born in

Orangeville, Ontario Orangeville (Canada 2016 Census 28,900) is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County. History The first patent of land was issued to Ezekiel Benson, a land surveyor, on August 7, 1820. That was followed by land ...

, Maharg moved west and settled near

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...

in 1890 where he became a grain farmer and cattle breeder. He helped organize the

Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association The Saskatchewan Grain Growers' Association (SGGA) was a farmer's association that was active in Saskatchewan, Canada in the early 20th century. It was a successor to the Territorial Grain Growers' Association, and was formed in 1906 after Saskatch ...

becoming its first president from 1910 to 1923. The SGGA obtained loans from the government to build

grain elevators A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposi ...

and formed the

Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Company The Saskatchewan Co-operative Elevator Company (SCEC) was a farmer-owned enterprise that provided grain storage and handling services to farmers in Saskatchewan, Canada between 1911 and 1926, when its assets were purchased by the Saskatchewan Whea ...

with Maharg as founding president. He also served as president of the Canadian Council of Agriculture from 1915 to 1917.Dale-Burnett, Lisa, "Maharg, John Archibald (1872– 1944)", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''.
/ref> Maharg entered politics and was elected as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

representing Maple Creek in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as a Unionist. In 1919 he

crossed the floor Crossed may refer to: * ''Crossed'' (comics), a 2008 comic book series by Garth Ennis * ''Crossed'' (novel), a 2010 young adult novel by Ally Condie * "Crossed" (''The Walking Dead''), an episode of the television series ''The Walking Dead'' S ...

to join

Thomas Crerar Thomas Alexander Crerar, (June 17, 1876 – April 11, 1975) was a western Canadian politician and a leader of the short-lived Progressive Party of Canada. He was born in Molesworth, Ontario, and moved to Manitoba at a young age. Early career ...

and other MPs to form the populist

Progressive Party of Canada The Progressive Party of Canada, formally the National Progressive Party, was a federal-level political party in Canada in the 1920s until 1930. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces, and it spawned the P ...

.Coneghan, Damian, "Progressive Party", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''.
/ref> In 1921, Meharg was recruited by

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

William Melville Martin William Melville Martin (August 23, 1876 – June 22, 1970) served as the second premier of Saskatchewan from 1916 to 1922. In 1916, although not a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Martin was elected leader of the Saskatch ...

to join the

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 ...

government of Saskatchewan as Minister of Agriculture. He did not join the Liberal Party, however, and was elected to the Saskatchewan legislature as an Independent in the 1921 general election for the district of

Morse Morse may refer to: People * Morse (surname) * Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada * Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur Geography Antarctica * Cape Morse, Wilkes Land * Mount Morse, Churchi ...

. A political crisis developed, however, when Premier Martin campaigned for the federal

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

against a Progressive candidate in Regina thus angering the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association which had backed the Progressive candidate. Martin declared his opposition to a number of Progressive policies during the campaign leading Maharg, a Progressive supporter, to declare that the Premier had acted in bad faith and resign from

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in protest.Regehr, Ted, "Martin, William Melville (1876–1970)", ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan''.
/ref> The split in the Martin Cabinet led to the Premier's resignation and his replacement by

Charles Dunning Charles Avery Dunning (July 31, 1885 – October 1, 1958) was the third premier of Saskatchewan. Born in England, he emigrated to Canada at the age of 16. By the age of 36, he was premier. He had a successful career as a farmer, business ...

. Maharg served as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

until leaving politics in 1924. Following his political career Maharg returned to farming and also served as the Co-operative Elevator Company's representative on the provisional board of the newly formed

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricul ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maharg, John Archibald 1872 births 1944 deaths Farmers from Saskatchewan Unionist Party (Canada) MPs Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons Progressive Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Independent MLAs in Saskatchewan

See also

References

External links