Martin Pederson (December 5, 1921 – September 1, 2001) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

farmer, business owner and politician, who was leader of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a conservative political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories. History ...

from 1958 to 1968. He was born on the family farm near

Hawarden, Saskatchewan Hawarden ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Loreburn No. 254 and Census Division No. 11. The village is located on Highway 19 north of Strongfield, Loreburn, and Elbo ...

. Pederson served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was provincial president and national vice-president of the Young Conservative Association and president of the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Association before becoming provincial party leader. Pederson operated trucking and insurance companies as well as farming. In the 1960 election, the first in which Pederson led the party, they won no seats in 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 ...

. In the 1964 election, Pederson himself was the only PC MLA elected to the legislature. He was defeated in the 1967 election. He retired from the leadership the following year, and was succeeded by Ed Nasserden. Pederson was chair of the Saskatchewan Liquor Board from 1983 to 1987.

References

1921 births 2001 deaths Canadian people of Swedish descent Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan MLAs Saskatchewan political party leaders Royal Air Force personnel of World War II {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub