William Thomas Henry (January 2, 1871 – March 12, 1952) was a politician, real estate agent and businessman 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 ...
. He served numerous years on
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
as an Alderman from 1900 to 1902 and later as mayor from 1914 to 1917. He also served as a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from singl ...
from 1924 to 1926 sitting with the Liberal caucus.
Early life
Henry was born in
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
January 2, 1872. He moved to
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
, in 1890 and entered the dry goods business. Three years later, he moved to Edmonton and opened W. T. Henry and Co., Clothing, Boots and Shoes which outfitted parties going to the
Klondike Gold Rush.
In 1903 Henry left the clothing business and went into real estate for three years before partnering with
James Blowey to form Blowey, Henry Ltd., a wholesale and retail furniture company.
Political career
Municipal
Henry sought election to the
Edmonton Town Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...
as an alderman in
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...
but was defeated, finishing seventh of nine candidates.
Henry was more successful in his next second attempt to run for municipal council. He was elected to a two-year term as alderman in the
1900 election.
He completed his term in 1902, but did not seek re-election.
The
1914 municipal election would see Henry return to municipal politics. He stood for Mayor and was elected handily defeating
Joseph Adair
Joseph Woods Adair (1877 – November 1, 1960) was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a municipal councillor in Edmonton, and a candidate for election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Biography
Joseph Adair was born in Glasgow, Scotland in ...
in a landslide.
Henry was returned by acclamation to mayoralty in the
1915 election.
The
election held in 1916 would be contested. Henry easily defeated future mayor
Joseph Clarke with another landslide majority.
While mayor, Henry helped arrange for the acquisition of weapons by the Edmonton branch of the
Legion of Frontiersmen
The Legion of Frontiersmen is a civilian organisation formed in Britain in 1905 by Roger Pocock, a former constable with the North-West Mounted Police and Boer War veteran. Prompted by fears of an impending invasion of Britain and the Empire, th ...
for home defense during
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 ...
, after his request to the army was turned down.
Mayor Henry did not seek re-election in the
1917 election, and turned his attention to provincial politics.
Provincial
Henry ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature, seeking election 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 ...
candidate in the
1917 Alberta general election
The 1917 Alberta general election was held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The Liberals won a fourth term in office, defeating the Conservative Party of Edward Michener.
Because of World War I, eleven Mem ...
. He ran in the riding of West Edmonton but was defeated by
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 i ...
incumbent
Albert Ewing
Albert Freeman Ewing (June 29, 1871 – August 26, 1946) was a provincial politician and judge from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 1921 sitting with the Conservative caucus in oppositio ...
in a hotly contested two-way race.
Henry ran for his second time in a by-election held on in the
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
electoral district caused by
John Boyle's appointment as a judge.
Two years later he sought re-election in the
1926 election, but finished fifteenth of twenty-three candidates, he did not return to public office.
Late life
Henry took his company Henry Ltd.'s out of the retail furniture business (in favour of wholesaling), Henry co-founded Henry, Graham and Reid in 1931. He also served as chairman of the Edmonton Hospital Board, and was a member of the
Masonic Order
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, the Edmonton Board of Trade, the
Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
, and the Alberta College's first board. He played and refereed hockey. He was married to Ada C. Battrick, with whom he had four children.
Henry died March 12, 1952 in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
where he had travelled to for the winter. He was buried at the Edmonton Municipal Cemetery.
[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPDX-HK1 ] Henry Avenue in Edmonton is named in his honour.
References
External links
Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members ListingEdmonton Public Library Biography of William Thomas HenryCity of Edmonton biography of William Thomas HenryReport to the Edmonton City Council Executive Committee including a list of aldermen who have been honoured in the names of Edmonton's features*
ttp://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~pastimpe/Volume%2012/A%20Firm%20Referee.pdf History of hockey referees in Edmonton from 1893 until 1907History of Alberta College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, William Thomas
1872 births
1952 deaths
Alberta Liberal Party MLAs
Canadian Methodists
Edmonton city councillors
Mayors of Edmonton
Businesspeople from Prince Edward Island
Businesspeople from Edmonton
20th-century Canadian politicians