James Garfield Gardiner

The Right Honourable James Garfield Gardiner PC
4th Premier of Saskatchewan
In office February 26, 1926 – September 9, 1929
Monarch	George V
Lieutenant Governor	Henry William Newlands
Preceded by	Charles A. Dunning
Succeeded by	James T.M. Anderson
In office July 19, 1934 – November 1, 1935
Monarch	George V
Lieutenant Governor	Hugh Edwin Munroe
Preceded by	James T.M. Anderson
Succeeded by	William John Patterson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for North Qu'Appelle
In office June 25, 1914 – June 19, 1934
Preceded by	John Archibald McDonald
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Melville
In office June 19, 1934 – November 1, 1935
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Ernest Walter Gerrand
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Assiniboia
In office January 6, 1936 – March 26, 1940
Preceded by	Robert McKenzie
Succeeded by	Jesse Pickard Tripp
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Melville
In office March 26, 1940 – March 31, 1958
Preceded by	William Richard Motherwell
Succeeded by	James Norris Ormiston
Personal details
Born	(1883-11-30)November 30, 1883 Farhuquar (South Huron), Ontario
Died	January 12, 1962(1962-01-12) (aged 78) Balcarres, Saskatchewan
Political party	Saskatchewan Liberal
Other political affiliations	Liberal
Spouses	Rosetta Jane Gardiner ​ ​ (m. 1912⁠–⁠1917)​ Violet McEwen ​ (m. 1917⁠–⁠1944)​ Isabella (Scott) Christie ​ ​ (m. 1944⁠–⁠1962)​
Profession	Farmer, educator
Nickname	Jimmy

James Garfield Gardiner PC (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.

Gardiner was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in 1914, served as Minister of Highways (1922–1926) in the government of Premier Charles A. Dunning from 1922, and succeeded Dunning as premier in 1926. A highly-partisan Liberal, his government lost its majority in the legislature in the 1929 election both from patronage scandals and partly through an anti-French, anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant campaign waged by the Ku Klux Klan.^[1] Although the Conservative Party had won fewer seats, it was able to defeat the Gardiner government through a motion of no confidence and then formed a "co-operative government" with the support of some Progressive Party and independent Members of the Legislative Assembly.

As Leader of the Opposition, Gardiner accused James Anderson's Conservative government of bigotry and alleged that it was linked with the Klan.^[2] Gardiner defeated Anderson in the 1934 election and became premier a second time. In 1935, he was involved in negotiations to end the On-to-Ottawa Trek in Regina.

Gardiner left provincial politics later in 1935 to join the federal cabinet of Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King as Minister of Agriculture. He was elected to the House of Commons a few months later. Gardiner held the agriculture portfolio for 22 years until the 1957 federal election resulted the Liberal government bring defeated. Gardiner also served as the first Minister of National War Services, during July 12, 1940 – June 10, 1941.^[3] Gardiner was a powerful figure in both the King and St. Laurent governments.

In 1947, he was sworn of the Imperial Privy Council, which allowed him use of the prenominal honorific The Right Honourable.

Gardiner ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada at the 1948 Liberal leadership convention but lost to Louis St. Laurent. He remained in the House of Commons of Canada until he lost his seat in the 1958 Diefenbaker sweep.

Gardiner was married three times: first to Rosetta Jane Gardiner in 1912, then to Violet McEwen in 1917 and finally to Isabella (Scott) Christie in 1944. His son James Wilfrid Gardiner served in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly.^[4] His other son, Pilot Officer John Edwin (1919–1942), serving with Number 403 Squadron, RCAF, was killed in action while providing air cover and support during the Dieppe Raid on August 19, 1942.^[5] The Gardiner family farm was near Lemberg, Saskatchewan.

As premier of Saskatchewan in 1928, Gardiner championed the Saskatchewan Sanitoria and Hospitals Act, the first legislation to provide free hospitalization and treatment for victims of tuberculosis anywhere in North America. It was passed unanimously by the provincial legislature on January 1, 1929, and is probably one of his least-known legacies to Saskatchewan public policy.^[6]

As Minister of National War Services during World War II, Gardiner made a way for conscientious objectors in Canada to perform alternate, non-military service. After a delegation from Canada's Anabaptist peace churches was stymied by deputy ministers, they approached Gardiner directly, where they got a much warmer reception; as Gardiner was a member of the United Church of Canada, which is also theologically committed to global peace. The National War Services Regulations were amended by Parliament on December 24, 1940, to allow for alternate service.^[7]

Saskatchewan's Gardiner Dam, declared open on June 21, 1967, is named after him.

In 2006, the CBC agreed to pull the movie Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story from all broadcasts in response to criticism about its portrayals of Gardiner.^[8]

Gardiner led the Liberal Party in two general elections, in 1929 and 1934. The 1929 election resulted in a Conservative minority government, but Gardiner won the 1934 election with a majority government.

Gardiner had succeeded Dunning as premier in 1926, and led the Liberals into the general election in 1929. Although Gardiner and the Liberals won pluralities in the popular vote and seats in the Assembly, they did not hold a majority. Gardiner chose to face the Assembly in hopes of obtaining sufficient support from some of the opposition members to maintain his government, but he lost a vote on a confidence matter and resigned. He was replaced as premier by James Anderson, whose Conservative Party held the second-greatest number of seats.

¹ Premier when election was called; lost confidence motion in the Assembly after the election; resigned as Premier and became Leader of the Opposition.
² Co-Leader of the Opposition when the election was called; became Premier after successful non-confidence vote.

Gardiner remained leader of the Liberals and led them into the 1934 election, at the depths of the Great Depression. The Liberals won a substantial majority government, taking fifty of the fifty-five seats in the Legislative Assembly. The election was a crushing defeat for the Conservatives under Anderson, who failed to win a single seat. The Farmer-Labour Party won five seats and formed the Opposition.

¹ Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Premier after the election.
² Party leader during the election, but failed to win seat; role as Leader of the Opposition taken by George Hara Williams
³ Premier when election was called; lost seat in the election and retired.

Gardiner stood for election to the Legislative Assembly seven times, once in a by-election and in six general elections. He was elected six times in the constituency of North Qu'Appelle, and the seventh and last election in the constituency of Melville. He was elected twice by acclamation, and five times in contested elections.^[9]

The by-election was called on the resignation of the sitting Conservative member, John Archibald McDonald, who admitted to "corrupt practices" by his agent in the 1912 general election.^[10]

E Elected.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

The by-election was called on Gardiner accepting the position of Minister of Highways in the Cabinet of Premier Dunning, an office of profit under the Crown, on April 5, 1922.
E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

Gardiner stood for election to the House of Commons seven times from 1936 to 1958, in two different Saskatchewan ridings (Assiniboia originally, and then Melville for the next six elections). He was elected six times. After his defeat in the 1958 election, he retired from politics.

By-election called after the sitting Liberal MP, Robert McKenzie, accepted an office of profit under the Crown on December 9, 1935.

E Elected.

E Elected.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.
¹ Rounding error.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

E Elected.
X Incumbent.

• James Garfield Gardiner – Parliament of Canada biography
• Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan Entry