William Bayley

William Dowell Bayley (December 24, 1879—November 5, 1955) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1920 to 1927.

Bayley was born in Winnipeg, to a family of English descent. One of his ancestors, Sir Thomas Wyatt, was executed for sedition. Bayley received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba, and was a medallist in philosophy and political economy. He served as principal of King George Public School in Norwood, and in 1918 lectured on prohibition for the "dry" side in New Zealand.

He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1915, as a candidate of the Labour Representation Committee. He finished second in Assiniboia, coming 55 behind Liberal candidate John Wilton.

Labour's electoral fortunes rose in Manitoba after the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Bayley ran for the legislature again in the 1920 provincial election as a candidate of the Dominion Labour Party, and defeated Wilton by 103 votes. The Liberals won a minority government in this election, and Bayley served as an opposition member of the legislature. He was re-elected in the 1922 election, which was won by the United Farmers of Manitoba.

Bayley was known as a strong orator, and had the honour of being the first public school teacher to serve in the Manitoba legislature. He left the Labour Party caucus on January 8, 1924, shortly after the retirement of party leader Fred Dixon. He served as an independent member of the legislature after this time, and did not seek re-election in 1927.

Bayley was appointed head of temperance education after retiring from the legislature, and opposed efforts to liberalize Manitoba's liquor laws. He attempted a political comeback in 1953, largely in response to Stephen Juba's increased popularity in the city. Juba, who would later be elected as Winnipeg's Mayor, promoted liquor law reforms as part of a populist platform. In response, Bayley formed an organization called the Prosperity for Posterity Party (PPP), which was primarily a vehicle to oppose Juba and his views on the issue.

Bayley registered as a PPP candidate for Winnipeg South in the 1953 provincial election, but withdraw before election day. He was initially reluctant to run, and allowed his name to stand only after no other volunteers came forward. When he left the race, he suggested that his candidacy could split the temperance vote. He also issued the following statement:

"I choose to withdraw, thanking the friends of temperance, and of me personally, both those who paid me to run and those who said don't, and apologizing to Winnipeg Centre electors for ever thinking they wouldn't adequately deal with Mr. Juba". ("Winnipeg Free Press", 23 May 1953)