William Carlos Ives (October 30, 1873 – July 10, 1950) was a Canadian provincial politician and provincial Supreme Court Justice.
Early life
William Carlos Ives was born in
Compton
Compton may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district
* Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton
* Compton, Que ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
on October 30, 1873.
His family moved to the Alberta District in the
North-West Territories shortly after he was born, to ranch near
Pincher Creek
Pincher Creek is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies, west of Lethbridge and south of Calgary.
History
For centuries before European settlers reached this area and inhabited it, Indig ...
in 1881.
Ives' father George would be one of the original members of the
North-West Mounted Police in 1879.
When he reached his teenage years he left home to work his first job as a cowhand. He left the territories to attend
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
and graduated in 1899 with a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...
. Ives became a lawyer in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
shortly after graduating, being
called to the bar in 1900, and worked in the city for two years before moving back to Alberta.
Political career
Ives moved to the town of
Lethbridge in 1901 and joined a legal firm partnering with established lawyer
Charles Conybeare.
He soon became interested in provincial politics and joined the Conservatives.
Ives ran twice as a candidate for the Alberta provincial
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
party. He ran for the first time in the
Lethbridge electoral district in the
1905 Alberta general election
The 1905 Alberta general election was the first general election held in the Province of Alberta, Canada on November 9, 1905, to elect twenty-five members of the Alberta legislature to the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly, shortly after the prov ...
. He was defeated by former Northwest Territories MLA
Leverett DeVeber
Leverett George DeVeber (sometimes spelled De VeberBenidickson 178) (February 10, 1849 – July 9, 1925) was a Canadian politician who served as Member of the Legislative Assemblies of Alberta and the North-West Territories, minister in the govern ...
in a hotly contested race.
Ives ran for a second time in the
Lethbridge City electoral district. He again finished second, this time in a three way race ahead of incumbent Labor MLA
Donald McNabb but was defeated by Liberal candidate
William Ashbury Buchanan
William Francis Asbury Buchanan (July 2, 1876 – July 12, 1954) was a Canadian journalist, newspaper publisher and politician from Alberta.
Early life
William Francis Asbury Buchanan was born on July 2, 1876 at South Monaghan, Northumberl ...
. Ives was unable to expand his popular vote garnering the exact total as his run for office in 1905.
Judicial career
Ives left his practice in Lethbridge moving to
Calgary in 1914 after he was appointed to be a judge for the
Supreme Court of Alberta
The Court of King's Bench of Alberta (abbreviated in citations as ABKB or Alta. K.B.) is the superior court of the Canadian province of Alberta. Until 2022, it was named Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.
The Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary w ...
. He retired from his judicial career in 1944.
Early in his career he became known by the nickname of the "Cowboy Judge".
Ives was known on the bench for his placid demeanor, and his colleagues referred to his
poker face. He would rarely interrupt counsel during trial, except the occasional injection of dry humour.
Ives judgements were known to be short and to the point, and rarely reserved cases, and was known, and sometimes criticized for the assistance he would provide young and inexperienced lawyers in the court room.
Ives presided over the
scandalous seduction trial of
United Farmers Premier
John Brownlee. After the jury verdict came down, Ives threw out the jury decision in favour of the plaintiffs and dismissed the case; the
Supreme Court of Canada eventually overturned Ives' decision The trial scandalized the United Farmers government and helped lead to its defeat in the
1935 Alberta general election
The 1935 Alberta general election was held on August 22, 1935, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The newly founded Social Credit Party of Alberta won a sweeping victory, unseating the 14-year government of the United Farmer ...
.
Ives would also adjudicate the infamous ''Powlett and Powlett v. The University of Alberta'' which a
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...
student suffered a breakdown after a brutal
hazing ritual. The case was brought forward by Calgary lawyer and the victim's father Horatio Powlett and he sought $200,000 in damages. The case would be complicated as during the proceeding Ives' own son would commit suicide. He would find for the Powlett family and award them $40,000.
Ives would also hear ''R. v. Solloway'' and ''R. v. Mills'' which the stock broker defendants from Ontario which shorted stocks they were selling to people across Canada. Ives would find both defendants guilty on charges of conspiracy, and sentenced them to four months hard labour and fined $275,000.
Personal life
William Ives would marry Millicent May Troull and have two children, Bill and Elizabeth. His daughter Elizabeth would marry the son of prominent Calgarian and Senator
Patrick Burns.
Late life
After retiring from the judiciary, Ives remained at the Cochrane Ranch, just outside Calgary. He died in Calgary in 1950.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ives, William
1873 births
1950 deaths
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta candidates in Alberta provincial elections
Judges in Alberta
Anglophone Quebec people
People from Estrie
McGill University Faculty of Law alumni