James Bismark Holden (October 4, 1876 – April 10, 1956) was a businessman and a municipal and provincial politician from

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. He 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 1906 to 1913, sitting with the Liberal caucus in government. He also served as the mayor of

Vegreville Vegreville ( uk, Веґревіль) is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately east of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906, and that year also saw the founding of the ''Vegrev ...

from 1917 to 1945.

Alberta legislature

Holden ran for election to the Alberta Legislature in a by-election held on July 16, 1906, as a Liberal candidate in the electoral district of Vermilion. He won the seat by acclamation to hold the district for his party. The 1909 boundary redistribution redistributed the Vermilion electoral district. Holden won election in the new Vegreville electoral district in the election held that year. Holden did not run for a third term in office and so left the legislature at its dissolution in 1913.

Other activities

Holden briefly moved to Vancouver to get into the shipping business, but moved back to Alberta when it went bust. Holden married Gertrude Jane Worth. After his provincial political career, James had a substantial municipal career serving many terms as Mayor of Vegreville, Alberta from 1917 to 1945. Holden also attempted a career in federal politics. He ran for a seat to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

for the first time in the 1917 federal election. He ran as a government supporting candidate in the electoral district of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

but was defeated finishing second in the three-way race losing to

William Henry White Sir William Henry White, (2 February 1845 – 27 February 1913) was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty. Biography White was born in Devonport, the son of Robert White, a currier, and his wife, Jane M ...

and finishing ahead of former Governor of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

John W. Leedy John Whitnah Leedy (March 8, 1849 – March 24, 1935) was the 14th Governor of Kansas, serving 1896 to 1898. He later was active in politics in Alaska and Alberta, Canada. Personal life and family Leedy was born near Bellville, Ohio, in Rich ...

. Holden ran for federal office a second time in the

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

again in the electoral district of Victoria. He lost the three-way race as the Conservative candidate in a landslide finishing a distant third place to United Farmers candidate William Lucas. Holden would attempt federal over a number of years later for his third and last time in the

1935 Canadian federal election The 1935 Canadian federal election was held on October 14, 1935, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Min ...

. This time he finished last place out of five candidates in the

district losing to William Hayhurst.

Late life and honors

The town of

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...

, founded in 1905, is named in his honor.

References

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, James Alberta Liberal Party MLAs Unionist Party (Canada) candidates in the 1917 Canadian federal election Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Mayors of places in Alberta 1876 births 1956 deaths People from Vegreville