Robert Barrowman (December 24, 1881 – February 18, 1947) was a politician and artist 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 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 ...

. Born outside

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Barrowman showed talent as an artist from an early age drawing sketches of the countryside but was employed in his youth as a shipbuilder for

Clyde Shipping Company The Clyde Shipping Company was one of the earliest shipping companies in the United Kingdom to provide steamship services. History The Clyde Shipping Company or C. S. Co. was established in 1815 to provide steamship services out of Glasgow. A ...

. Barrowman emigrated to Canada in 1907, and settled first in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

where he worked for the Blue Ribbon Tea Company and then in

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

where he worked for a sign painting company. In 1910, he settled in

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to ...

where he founded City Sign Works and Lethbridge Posting Company and became a prominent local businessman. He was elected to city council in 1924, becoming mayor of Letbridge in 1928 and served in that position until 1934. In the 1935 provincial election, Barrowman was the

Alberta Liberal Party The Alberta Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral de l'Alberta) is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1905, it is the oldest active political party in Alberta and was the dominant political party until the 1921 election ...

's candidate in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

placing a distant second behind the

Social Credit Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made them. To combat what he ...

candidate. He had also been an independent candidate in the 1930 provincial election but was unsuccessful. Barrowman served as president of the

and, as such, served as interim leader of the party in 1941 following the resignation of party leader

Edward Leslie Gray Edward Leslie Gray (April 8, 1895 – June 13, 1992) was a politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from Alberta, Canada. Gray was born April 8, 1895, in Maple Valley, Ontario to Samuel Gray and Mary Taylor, both of Irish de ...

. An accomplished self-taught painter, he was interested in nature, in particular fossils and geology, influenced Mike Pisko and painted with

A.Y. Jackson Alexander Young Jackson LL. D. (October 3, 1882April 5, 1974) was a Canadian painter and a founding member of the Group of Seven. Jackson made a significant contribution to the development of art in Canada, and was instrumental in bringing toget ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrowman, Robert 1861 births 1947 deaths Artists from Alberta Mayors of Lethbridge Alberta Liberal Party candidates in Alberta provincial elections Scottish emigrants to Canada 20th-century Canadian painters 20th-century Canadian politicians Canadian male painters Canadian landscape painters 20th-century Canadian male artists