Richard Gardiner Willis

Richard Gardiner Willis

Richard Gardiner Willis (February 10, 1865-February 1929) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was the leader of the Manitoba Conservative Party from 1919 to 1922, and served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1922 until his death.

Born in Somhardy, Ontario, Willis was educated at Smiths Falls High School and the University of Toronto. He later moved to Manitoba, and worked as a farmer. In 1915, he co-nominated James Albert Manning Aikins to become the new leader of the provincial Conservative Party.

Despite having little political experience, Willis was chosen leader of the Manitoba Conservatives on November 6, 1919, defeating future leader Major Fawcett Taylor. His victory was considered an upset, and can probably be credited to the increasingly strong presence of organized farmers in Manitoba. Some believe Conservative delegates were influenced by the recent election of Ernest Drury's United Farmers in Ontario.

The Conservative Party had governed Manitoba from 1900 to 1915, but was sidelined by the emergence of farmer and labour radicalism in the late 1910s. It emerged as the fourth-largest parliamentary group in the 1920 election, behind the Liberals, Farmer candidates and Labour. Willis sought election in Turtle Mountain, but lost to incumbent Liberal George McDonald by 14 votes.

He technically retained the leadership of the Manitoba Conservative Party until April 1922, but did not play a significant role in the party after his defeat. John Thomas Haig served as the party's leader in the legislature in 1921-22.

Willis ran as the federal Conservative candidate in Souris for the federal election of 1921, but placed a poor third. He stepped down as provincial Conservative leader just before the 1922 provincial election, and was replaced by Taylor.

Ironically, Willis's personal electoral fortunes improved after his resignation as leader. He was elected for Turtle Mountain in the 1922 provincial election, and was re-elected in 1927. Both elections were won by the United Farmers of Manitoba, and Willis sat with the Conservatives in opposition. He was still a member of the legislature when he died in February 1929.

His son, Errick Willis, served as leader of the Manitoba Conservative Party from 1936 to 1954.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Richard Gardiner (disambiguation) — Richard Gardiner was the Lord Mayor of London.Richard Gardiner may also refer to: *Ricky Gardiner *Richard Gardiner Willisee also*Richard Gardner (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Willis (surname) — Willis, a variant of the name William, is a surname, and may refer to many people.A* Albert Sydney Willis * Alicia Leigh Willis * Allee Willis * Amrit Kaur Willis * Austin Willis * Ashley Willis * Avery T Willis Jr, American Missionary, AuthorB*… …   Wikipedia

  • Richard Willis — may refer to:*Richard Willis (spy) (1613 or 1614 ndash;1690) *Richard Willis (composer) (1819 ndash;1900) *Richard Willis (Medal of Honor) (1826 ndash;?), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient *Richard Gardiner Willis (1865… …   Wikipedia

  • Willis (Familienname) — Willis ist ein Familienname. Bekannte Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gardiner — You might also be looking for articles named Gardner Gardiner may be:ettlements* Gardiner, Maine * Gardiner, Montana * Gardiner (town), New York * Gardiner (CDP), New York * Gardiner, Washington * West Gardiner, MaineGeographical features*… …   Wikipedia

  • Souris (electoral district) — Souris was a federal electoral district in the province of Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1953. This riding was created in 1903 from parts of Brandon and Lisgar ridings.In 1952, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Alexander Welch — Alexander Robert Welch (July 15, 1873 1962) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1929 to 1945, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Bracken and Stuart Garson.Welch was born… …   Wikipedia

  • Australia — /aw strayl yeuh/, n. 1. a continent SE of Asia, between the Indian and the Pacific oceans. 18,438,824; 2,948,366 sq. mi. (7,636,270 sq. km). 2. Commonwealth of, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of the federated states and… …   Universalium

  • Haileybury and Imperial Service College — Infobox UK school name = Haileybury and Imperial Service College size = 100px latitude = longitude = dms = motto = Fear God, Honour The King motto pl = established = 1862 ( Haileybury College. Predecessor colleges were founded as follows: East… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Old Harrovians — The following is a list of some notable Old Harrovians, graduates of Harrow School in the United Kingdom. * Royalty*King Faisal II of Iraq *Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein of Jordan *Prince Hassan bin Al Talal of Jordan *King Hussein of Jordan… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”