- John Walter Jones
John Walter Jones (
April 14 ,1878 –March 31 ,1954 ) was a politician and farmer inPrince Edward Island ,Canada . An agronomist, he was instrumental in introducing thepotato crop to the island, which was to become a staple of the economy. In 1935, he received the King George V medal as the best farmer in the province.Born in Pownal, he first ran for public office in the 1921 federal election as a Farmer-Progressive candidate, but failed to win a seat in the
Canadian House of Commons .He was first elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island as a Liberal in 1935. In 1943, he became premier of the province whenThane A. Campbell was appointed as a judge.The government of "Farmer Jones" repealed strict
prohibition , and created the PEI Liquor Control Commission to regulate the sale of liquor. He had to proceed byorder-in-council because thelieutenant-governor , as a prohibitionist, refused to giveRoyal Assent to the necessary legislation. In 1947, his government broke a strike at Canada Packers, a meat-packing plant, by seizing the plant, employing strike-breakers and outlawingtrade union affiliation with national or international unions in the name of "protect(ing) the farm interest".He left provincial politics in 1953 to accept an appointment to the
Canadian Senate .External links
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=2387&s=M Political biography from the Library of Parliament]
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