William John Patterson (May 13, 1886 – June 10, 1976) was 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 ...

politician and the sixth premier of Saskatchewan from 1935 to 1944. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 1921 election. He succeeded

James G. Gardiner James Garfield Gardiner (30 November 1883 – 12 January 1962) was a Canadian farmer, educator, and politician. He served as the fourth premier of Saskatchewan, and as a minister in the Canadian Cabinet. Political career Gardiner was first elec ...

to become the province's first

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 ...

-born premier. Patterson's leadership was considered to be uninspired. He was unable to resist the

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialism, democra ...

's rise to power in the 1944 election under

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 ...

. Patterson's Liberals were reduced to five seats in the Legislature. He resigned as Liberal leader in 1946. Patterson served as the tenth

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 ...

from 1951 to 1958, becoming the first person to have been both Premier and lieutenant governor of the province.

Early life

Paterson was born on May 13, 1886, in Grenfell in what was then the District of Assiniboia 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. ...

. His father, John Patterson, had moved to Grenfell in 1882 to work as a railway section foreman during the construction of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

. His mother, Catherine Fraser, was an immigrant from

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 ...

. Patterson left school at 15 and found work first at a bank and then in the Saskatchewan Department of Telephones. Following the outbreak of

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 ...

, Patterson in 1916 enlisted in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

, serving as a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer. He was wounded in September 1918. Upon his return to Saskatchewan after the war, he studied law in Grenfell under lawyer G.C. Neff and then moved to

Windthorst, Saskatchewan Windthorst (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 population: ) is a village in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Chester No. 125 and Division No. 5, Saskatchewan, Census Division No. 5 ...

to set up a financial and

insurance agency Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

Politics

Patterson ran in the Saskatchewan general election of 1921, as 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 ...

's candidate for the

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

of Pipestone. Patterson won the district and took his seat in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Patterson held several

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 ...

positions in governments headed 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 ...

James Garfield Gardiner James Garfield Gardiner (30 November 1883 – 12 January 1962) was a Canadian farmer, educator, and politician. He served as the fourth premier of Saskatchewan, and as a minister in the Canadian Cabinet. Political career Gardiner was first elec ...

. He was reelected in the 1925 election and the 1929 election, but in the latter case, the Liberals lost the election and so Patterson moved to the Opposition. In the 1934 election, the Liberals returned to power, and Patterson returned to cabinet. In 1935, Premier Gardiner left provincial politics to become Canadian Minister of Agriculture under

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...

. Patterson was elected as Gardiner's successor as leader of the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan and Premier of Saskatchewan. Taking office in the midst of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Patterson sought to extend social programs to assist those in need. His government increased funding for education, enacted

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

and debt relief legislation, and expanded public funding for treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, and

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

. However, Patterson subscribed to the

conventional wisdom The conventional wisdom or received opinion is the body of ideas or explanations generally accepted by the public and/or by experts in a field. In religion, this is known as orthodoxy. Etymology The term is often credited to the economist John K ...

of the day that deficit spending would ruin the province's credit and he thus therefore refused to run a budget deficit, instead funding the increased government spending through a new

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

. His government also passed legislation making it easier to form

credit unions A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provision ...

, permitting the formation of unions, and increasing labour standards. Patterson won re-election in the 1938 election and continued to serve as premier. In the 1944 election, however, the Liberals were easily defeated by the

Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s. Th ...

, under the leadership of

. Patterson 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 1946, when he resigned as Liberal leader. He remained a Member of the Legislative Assembly and was a candidate in the 1948 election, and was re-elected as the member from Cannington. Following his resignation, Patterson took up a position with the federal

Board of Transport Commissioners The Canadian Transport Commission (CTC) was Canada's first fully converged, multi-modal regulator. The body was created by Canada's Parliament on September 19, 1967, to assume the responsibilities of two bodies: the Board of Transport Commissioner ...

In 1951, Patterson was appointed as the first Saskatchewan-born

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. He served in this post until 1958. Upon Patterson's retirement, Douglas introduced special legislation to provide Patterson with a

to thank for his many years of service to the province. Patterson then lived quietly in retirement until his death in Regina, on June 10, 1976.

Electoral record

Saskatchewan general elections, 1938 and 1944

1938 General election

Patterson led the Liberals in the general election of 1938. He won a solid majority government. The

under

George Hara Williams George Hara Williams (November 17, 1894 – September 12, 1945) was a Canadian farmer activist and politician.Dale-Burnett, LisaWilliams, George (1894–1945), ''Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, accessed February 12, 2008 Biography Born in Binsca ...

came in second place and continued as the

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

. ¹ Premier when election was called; Premier after election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after election.

1944 General election

Provincial elections are normally held between four to five years after the previous election, but this election was delayed because of World War II. Patterson again led the Liberals in the general election of 1944, but this time was soundly defeated by

and the

. ¹ Member of the federal Parliament until shortly before the election was called; Premier after election.
² Premier when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after election.
³ Rounds to zero.

Saskatchewan constituency elections

Patterson stood for election to the Legislative Assembly eight times, in two different ridings, Pipestone and Cannington. He was elected once by acclamation and seven times in contested elections. Although he normally won by healthy pluralities or majorities, in one case, 1944, he won by only six votes.Saskatchewan Archives — Election Results by Electoral Division.
/ref>

1921 General election: Pipestone

E Elected.

1925 General election: Pipestone

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1926 By-election: Pipestone

The by-election was called on Patterson accepting the position of Provincial Treasurer in the Cabinet of Premier Gardiner, an office of profit under the Crown, on February 26, 1926.
E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1929 General election: Pipestone

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1934 General election: Cannington

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1938 General election: Cannington

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

1944 General election: Cannington

E Elected.
X Incumbent.
¹ Rounding error.

1948 General election: Cannington

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

References

External links

William John Patterson
Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, William 1886 births 1976 deaths People from Grenfell, Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governors of Saskatchewan Premiers of Saskatchewan Members of the United Church of Canada Leaders of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party