Walter Scott (full name: Thomas Walter Scott) (October 27, 1867 – March 23, 1938) was the first

premier of Saskatchewan The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The current premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saskatch ...

from 1905 to 1916. Scott was Saskatchewan's second longest-serving Premier, serving one continuous term from 1905 to 1916). He led the

Saskatchewan Liberal Party The Saskatchewan Liberal Party is a liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was the provincial affiliate of the Liberal Party of Canada until 2009. It was previously one of the two largest parties in the provin ...

in three general elections, winning all three with

majority government A majority government is a government by one or more governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in a legislature. This is as opposed to a minority government, where the largest party in a legislature only has a plurality of seats. ...

s before retiring. He was the first of six Liberal Premiers to date. He was succeeded by

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 ...

. Scott was also the minister of various departments during his tenure as premier. Prior to the creation of Saskatchewan in 1905, Scott was a Member of Parliament in the federal

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

, elected in the general elections of

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

and

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

Early life

Scott was born in 1867 in

London Township, Ontario London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

, in rural southwestern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, the child of George Scott and Isabella Telfer. He was born out of wedlock, a fact he kept secret for his entire life. He moved to

Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

in 1885, and then – at the age of 19 – to Regina, the capital of the North-West Territories, in 1886. He worked for and then ran a number of newspapers which supported the

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'' ...

. He became a partner in the Regina ''Standard'' from 1892 to 1893. From 1894 to 1895, he was the owner and editor of the ''Moose Jaw Times''. Scott then bought the Regina ''Leader'' (known today as the ''

Regina Leader-Post The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network. Founding The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Li ...

'') in 1895, and was its editor until 1900. During this period, Scott gained a measure of fame as

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for a local

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team.

Federal politics: Creation of Saskatchewan

In 1900, Scott ran as a

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 ...

in the federal riding of Assiniboia West and was elected to the

. He was re-elected in 1904. During the discussions about creating provinces out of the

North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

, Scott initially supported territorial

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 ...

Frederick Haultain Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain (November 25, 1857 – January 30, 1942) was a lawyer and a long-serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades. He served ...

's proposal to create one big province (to be named " Buffalo") out of what is today

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 ...

and Saskatchewan – but then converted to the two-province option favoured by

Sir Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minist ...

's Liberal government. In February 1905, the federal government introduced legislation to create the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan effective Dominion Day – July 1, 1905. Premier Haultain was resolutely opposed to this legislation since 1) he wanted one big province, not two provinces; and 2) under the terms of the legislation, the federal government retained jurisdiction over public land. Haultain's opposition – along with opposition in the Commons to the act's provisions for denominational separate schools – delayed the passage of the bill. It did not receive

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

as the ''

Saskatchewan Act ''The Saskatchewan Act'', S. C. 1905, c. 42. (the ''Act'') is an Act of the Parliament of Canada which established the new province of Saskatchewan, effective September 1, 1905. Its long title is ''An Act to establish and provide for the gov ...

'' until July 20. It came into force on September 1, 1905, creating the province of Saskatchewan. On August 16, 1905, the

Liberal Party of Saskatchewan The Saskatchewan Liberal Party is a liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was the provincial affiliate of the Liberal Party of Canada until 2009. It was previously one of the two largest parties in the provin ...

held a leadership convention. Scott was the lone candidate. During his speech to the convention, the new leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals confidently predicted that Saskatchewan would soon become Canada's "banner province". After the passage of the ''Saskatchewan Act'' and the creation of the province, the final step was setting up the government. Frederick Haultain, as the Premier of the North-West Territories, was a natural candidate for being either the first

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the Viceroy, viceregal representative in Saskatchewan of the , who Monarchy in Saskatchewan, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other ...

or the first

. However, Haultain's opposition to the division of the Territories into two provinces, the denial of natural resources, and the Catholic school provisions had led the federal government to mistrust him. Prime Minister Laurier therefore appointed Amédée E. Forget, the Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories since 1898, as the first Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. Forget then named the 37-year-old Scott as Premier of Saskatchewan. Some believed that he acted on the advice of Laurier while he was staying with Forget at

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

for the celebration of the creation of Saskatchewan, but Laurier denied having given that advice. The appointment created some controversy, both in Ottawa and in Saskatchewan. Scott was sworn into office on September 12, 1905.

First administration (1905–1908)

The new province's first election was held on December 13, 1905. (Scott had arrived in Regina on December 13, 1886, so the day held sentimental value for him.) Scott's Liberals ran under the slogan "Peace, Progress, and Prosperity." Scott easily retained the premiership, with his Liberals winning 16 seats in the provincial legislature, while Haultain's newly created

Provincial Rights Party The Provincial Rights Party was a Canadian political party founded and led by Frederick W. A. G. Haultain in 1905 to contest elections in the new province of Saskatchewan. It was the successor to the eastern branch of the Northwest Territories Con ...

won only 9. (Though the popular vote was closer than this would indicate, with 52% of the vote going to the Liberals and 47% to the PRP.) Saskatchewan's first legislative session was convened at the end of March 1906. The major issue dominating this first session was the selection of a capital city. (Regina had only been named temporary capital.) Scott had assumed that Regina would remain the capital, but in May – at a secret meeting of the Liberal caucus – Scott was shocked to learn that two-thirds of his caucus supported moving the capital to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. Scott insisted on Regina, though, and his caucus eventually fell in line – when the Liberal MLA from

, W.C. Sutherland, introduced a resolution to move the capital to Saskatoon on May 23, 1906, the motion was defeated by a vote of 21 – 2 in the legislature. Scott, who was the Minister of Public Works in addition to serving as Premier,Saskatchewan Archives: Saskatchewan Ministers.
/ref> now began a search for a suitable location for the new

Legislative Building A legislative building is a building in which a legislature sits and makes laws for its respective political entity. The term used for the building varies between the political entities, such as "building", "capitol", "hall", "house", or "palace" ...

. In late June 1906, his cabinet formally approved the location of the current Legislature. They agreed to develop the area around the Legislature into a public park ( Wascana Park), which is today the largest urban park in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Following a design competition, the commission for the new Legislative Building was awarded to Maxwells of Montreal in December 1907. In 1907, Scott appointed the province's first Royal Commission, the Municipal Commission, to study the issue of local government. This resulted in the Rural Municipality Act of 1908–9, which created nearly 300 Rural Municipalities (a form of local government unique to Saskatchewan and

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

) which are each in area. During this period, Scott was the first Commissioner, then Minister, for Municipal Affairs, in addition to his duties as premier. A third major policy initiative during Scott's first premiership involved telephone service. In 1907, the government appointed telephone expert Francis Dagger to study the issue, and the result, in 1908, was Saskatchewan's famous solution of letting rural residents form mutual or co-operative companies to provide local phone services. The Scott government also concerned itself with transportation.Craig Baird, "First premier Scott led Saskatchewan into Confederation", ''Regina Leader-Post'', February 27, 2017.
/ref> In 1906, the Scott government spent nearly $100,000 on highway construction – a figure which would increase tenfold over the course of Scott's first term in office. During this period, Scott also served as the Commissioner of Railways. The Scott administration also undertook a major expansion of public education in Saskatchewan. Between 1905 and 1913, the number of public schools jumped from 405 to 2,747.

Normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

s were opened in Regina and Saskatoon. Scott was also very interested in higher education, having promised the creation of a provincial university during the 1905 election campaign. In spring 1907, the legislature passed the University Act, designed to create a university for the province. In August 1908, Walter Murray, a

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

professor from the

Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...

, was appointed as the first president of the new institution, although the site of the university had not yet been determined. During the winter of 1906-07, Scott suffered a bout of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. From this point on, he left the province every fall in search of a warmer setting. In total, he spent approximately half of his tenure as premier outside of the province.

Second administration (1908 – 1912)

In August 1908, Scott was re-elected as premier of Saskatchewan. For this election, the Legislature had been expanded to 41 seats, and Scott's Liberals won 27 of these seats. Also in 1908, the Scott government passed the Children's Protection Act to care for neglected and dependent children. In April 1909, over the opposition of President Murray, the government decided to locate the new

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. The university's first classes were held in the Drinkle Building downtown in September 1909, while plans were made to develop the university on the east side of the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...

on land well suited for agricultural research. Since Scott favoured a policy of decentralization (evidenced in the university going to Saskatoon instead of Regina), he continued this policy. In 1907, he appointed a commission to decide where to locate the provincial insane asylum, with it eventually being built in

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Batt ...

in 1913. Further pursuing his scheme of decentralization, Prince Albert was awarded the provincial

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

in 1911. In October 1909, the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

, the Earl Grey was on hand to lay the cornerstone of the Saskatchewan Legislature, which Premier Scott had recently decided should be made out of

Tyndall stone Tyndall Stone is a registered trademark name by Gillis Quarries Ltd. Tyndall Stone is a dolomitic limestone that is quarried from the Selkirk Member of the Ordovician Red River Formation in the vicinity of Garson and Tyndall, Manitoba, Canad ...

. Continuing the policy of encouraging the development of transportation facilities, in 1909 the government agreed to back railway construction bonds (up to a limit of $13,000/mile) to encourage the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Mani ...

and the

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Tra ...

to build new lines in Saskatchewan. By the time of the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, this programme had created more than of new rail track in the province. In 1910, Scott appointed another royal commission, the Magill Commission, to study the issue of

grain elevator 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 deposits ...

s. In October, the commission rejected proposals to create government-owned elevators, opting instead for a system of elevators owned and operated co-operatively by

farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...

Third administration (1912 – 1916)

In the 1912 election, the Legislature was expanded again, and Scott's Liberals won 46 of the 54 ridings. By this point, their opposition – the Provincial Rights Party – had decided to re-join mainstream politics and renamed itself the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. Haultain resigned as leader in the wake of the 1912 electoral defeat. Saskatchewan's importance in Confederation and the wider

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

was confirmed in October 1912 when the Legislative Building was officially opened by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

's favourite son

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 185016 January 1942), was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He served as Gov ...

, who was then the Governor General. Scott also served as Minister of Education in his third administration. In 1913, he introduced legislation to require religious minority ratepayers (i.e. Catholics) to support their own separate schools. This proposal met with fierce opposition from the Rev. Murdoch Mackinnon, pastor of Regina's Knox

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

(Scott's own congregation) who was resolutely opposed to measures which would financially strengthen the position of the Roman Catholic Church. Mackinnon would remain a thorn in Scott's side – as late as 1919 fiercely denouncing Scott's compromise position of allowing up to 1 hour a day of

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

instruction in public schools. Another development in 1913 was the creation of a provincial Board of Censors to deal with the corrupting influence of new-fangled

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s. With the commencement of hostilities in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Scott called an emergency session of the Saskatchewan Legislature on September 15, 1914. He pledged that all government MLAs would contribute 10% of their salaries to the Canadian Patriotic Fund, and that the province would donate 1500 horses to the British war effort. The

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 ...

immediately rose to applaud these measures, and the session ended with Liberal and Conservative members joining in a rousing chorus of ''

God Save the King "God Save the King" is the national anthem, national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in ...

''. Scott had long claimed to be in favour of women's suffrage, but as of 1912, Scott was musing that women didn't really want the vote. Pressed on the matter in early 1914, he said that he didn't feel his government had a mandate from the people to enact such a major change as introducing female suffrage. When, however, in late 1915, Scott learned that Manitoba had enacted women's suffrage, he was quick to follow suit – introducing legislation on February 14, 1916, to allow women to vote. Scott had longed opposed the

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

of alcohol, but the war made it all but impossible to resist the pressure of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

advocates. In a March 1915 speech in

Oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or wikt:bullock, bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term "oxbow lake, oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-sh ...

, Scott announced that all drinking establishments in Saskatchewan would be closed as of July 1, to be replaced by provincially run liquor stores. This move would prove inadequate in the following months, as both Alberta and

enacted Prohibition. Sensing the sign of the times, Scott held a provincial referendum on the topic – the first time women had been allowed to vote in Saskatchewan – and in December 1916, 80% of Saskatchewan voters voted to ban alcohol in the province. Scott's departure from politics by this time was virtually certain, for two main reasons. First, he had become increasingly prone to bouts of depression – with his outburst against his own pastor, Murdoch Mackinnon, during the debate about educational policy, serving as indication to his supporters that he was no longer entirely up for the job of premier. Second, in February 1916, Conservative MLA J.E. Bradshaw alleged in the House that Liberals had been receiving kickbacks for highway work, liquor licences, and public building contracts. A Royal Commission was appointed, and several Liberal backbenchers were indicted and eventually convicted. Amidst the scandal, Scott stepped down as premier on October 16, 1916.

Electoral history

Scott was the second-longest serving Premier of Saskatchewan, with one continuous term, from September 6, 1905 to October 20, 1916.Saskatchewan Archives: List of Saskatchewan Premiers.
/ref> He was in office for a total of . Scott led the provincial Liberals in three general elections, winning

s in all three (

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

, 1908,

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

). Scott was elected three times to the Legislative Assembly and twice to the federal House of Commons. He was never defeated at the polls. Scott is one of only four Saskatchewan premiers to win three or more majority governments, the others being

Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist min ...

Allan Blakeney Allan Emrys Blakeney (September 7, 1925April 16, 2011) was the tenth premier of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982, and leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP). Early life and career Born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Blakeney took his ...

, and

Brad Wall Bradley John Wall (born November 24, 1965), is a Canadian former politician who served as the 14th premier of Saskatchewan from November 21, 2007 until February 2, 2018. He is the fourth longest-tenured premier in the province's history. His so ...

. Scott and the Liberals won over 50% of the popular vote in each of the three general elections, and also increased their number of seats in the second and third elections. The only other Saskatchewan premier to match this feat to date has been Brad Wall.

Saskatchewan general elections, 1905 to 1912

1905 General election

The first general election matched Scott and the Liberals against Haultain, former Premier of the North-West Territories, and the Provincial Rights Party. Scott and the Liberals won a substantial majority over Haultain. ¹ Premier of Saskatchewan when election was called; Premier after the election.
² Premier of the North-West Territories prior to creation of Saskatchewan;

after the election.

1908 General election

Scott again led the Liberal Party in the second general election, on August 14, 1908. Haultain was again his opponent, for the Provincial Rights Party. Scott was returned to office. ¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after the election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.

1912 General election

Scott again led the Liberal Party in the third general election, on July 11, 1912. The Provincial Rights Party by this time had re-named itself the

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 ...

, now led by

Wellington Willoughby Wellington Bartley Willoughby, (August 10, 1859 – August 1, 1932) was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He ran for a seat in the Dominion House of Commons for the Conservative Party in the 1895 election, but an unofficial Tory, William St ...

. Scott was returned to office. ¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after the election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
³ The Legislative Assembly had 54 seats, but the election in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

was declared void, resulting in a vacancy in the Assembly until a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

was called on September 8, 1913.

Saskatchewan constituency elections

Scott stood for election to the Legislative Assembly three times, in two different ridings. He was elected each time.Saskatchewan Archives - Election Results by Electoral Division.
/ref>

1905 General election: Lumsden

E Elected.

1908 General election: Swift Current

E Elected.

1912 General election: Swift Current

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

Federal constituency elections, 1900 and 1904

Scott stood for election to the House of Commons twice, in the riding of Assiniboia West, North-West Territories. He was elected both times.Library of Parliament - Parlinfo: "Thomas Walter Scott".
/ref>

1900 General election: Assiniboia West

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1904 General election: Assiniboia West

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

Life after public office

Scott travelled widely in the years following his departure from public life in 1916. His mental health never allowed him to re-engage in politics or public affairs, nor any significant employment. He ultimately settled in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

with his wife. His mental health did not improve and in 1936 he was committed to a private psychiatric home in Ontario for well-off patients. He died there in 1938 and is buried in Victoria. The circumstances of his death were not made public in Saskatchewan.

Honours

The Walter Scott Memorial was unveiled in 2012 in

Wascana Centre Wascana Centre is a 930-hectare (9.3 km2/2,300 acre/3.6 mi2) urban park built around Wascana Lake in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, established in 1912 with a design from renowned architect Thomas Mawson. The park is designed aro ...

, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the

Saskatchewan Legislative Building The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and houses the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. History The Saskatchewan Legislative Building was built between 1908 and 1912 in the Beaux Arts style to a d ...

. The memorial is a full figured bronze statue of Scott facing the Legislative Building, holding a blueprint of the building, which he oversaw construction of while premier. The ''Walter Scott Building'' on Albert Street in Regina was named in Scott's honour, and is the home of many provincial government agencies and departments. In 2000,

Gordon Barnhart Gordon Leslie Barnhart (born January 22, 1945) is a former Clerk of the Senate of Canada and the Saskatchewan Legislature, as well as former Secretary of the University of Saskatchewan. He was the 20th Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan fr ...

, former

, released the first detailed biography of Walter Scott.Gordon Barnhart, ''"Peace, Progress and Prosperity": A Biography of Saskatchewan's First Premier, T. Walter Scott'' (Regina: University of Regina Press, 2000) (). A bust of Scott was commissioned by the

provincial government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, ...

as part of its "Millennial Busts" project.

Scott Collegiate Scott Collegiate is a public high school located in the North Central neighbourhood of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. OPerated by Regina Public Schools, it is named for Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 Septe ...

, a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Regina, is named after Scott.

References

External links

University of Regina Archer Library — Saskatchewan Politics Research Guide: Thomas Walter ScottEncyclopedia of Saskatchewan entryThomas Walter Scott – SCAA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Walter 1867 births 1938 deaths Premiers of Saskatchewan Leaders of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from the Northwest Territories Liberal Party of Canada MPs Canadian Presbyterians Canadian people of Scottish descent People from Middlesex County, Ontario