Athabaska (electoral district)

Former federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada

Athabaska Alberta electoral district

Defunct federal electoral district
Legislature| House of Commons
District created| 1924
District abolished| 1966
First contested| 1925
Last contested| 1965

Athabaska was a federal electoral district Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1968.

## History

[edit]

This riding was created as "Athabaska" in 1924 from parts of Battle River, Edmonton East and Edmonton West ridings. Its first election was poorly conducted with many election irregularities. The culprits, two Edmonton lawyers, barely avoided criminal prosecution. [1][2]

The riding was abolished in 1966 when it was redistributed into Athabasca, Peace River and Vegreville ridings.

## Members of Parliament

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This riding has elected the following members of the House of Commons of Canada:

Athabaska

Parliament | Years | Member | Party
Riding created from Battle River, Edmonton East
and Edmonton West
15th |  1925–1926 |  | Charles Wilson Cross | Liberal
16th |  1926–1930 |  | Donald Ferdinand Kellner | United Farmers of Alberta
17th |  1930–1932 |  | John Francis Buckley | Liberal
1932–1935 |  | Percy Griffith Davies | Conservative
18th |  1935–1940 |  | Percy John Rowe | Social Credit
19th |  1940–1945 |  | Joseph Miville Dechene | Liberal
20th |  1945–1949
21st |  1949–1953
22nd |  1953–1957
23rd |  1957–1958
24th |  1958–1962 |  | Jack Bigg | Progressive Conservative
25th |  1962–1963
26th |  1963–1965
27th |  1965–1968
Riding dissolved into Athabasca, Peace River
and Vegreville

## Election results

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1925 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | Charles Wilson Cross | 5,078
| Progressive | Donald Ferdinand Kellner | 3,648
| Conservative | Charles Jenry Gauvreau | 643

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1926 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| United Farmers of Alberta | Donald Ferdinand Kellner | 4,870 | 63.74
| Liberal | Charles Wilson Cross | 2,770 | 36.26
Source: "History of Federal Ridings since 1867:Athabaska, Alberta". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
1930 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | John Francis Buckley | 5,504
| United Farmers of Alberta | Donald Ferdinand Kellner | 4,190
| Conservative | Emanuel Michajluk | 2,218
Canadian federal by-election, 21 March 1932

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Conservative | Percy Griffith Davies | 4,910
| Liberal | DOZE, Isaac Stanley | 4,586
| United Farmers of Alberta | Louis Normandeau | 3,418
| Farmer–United Labour | Carl Axelson | 2,388
Called as a result of Mr. Buckley's death, 27 November 1931
1935 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Social Credit | Percy John Rowe | 5,424
| Liberal | James Owen Mcnamee | 3,007
| Conservative | Adéodat Boileau | 1,269
| Independent | Joseph McCrae Newman† | 733

† Joseph McCrae Newman ran under the Technocrat party banner.

1940 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | Joseph Miville Dechene | 5,961
| New Democracy | William Hayhurst | 4,817
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Percy John Rowe | 2,052
1945 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | Joseph Miville Dechene | 5,301
| Social Credit | Arthur Bruce Hickox | 4,823
| Co-operative Commonwealth | John Mandius Wagner | 1,756
| Labor–Progressive | Beatrice Ferneyhough | 1,564
| Progressive Conservative | Robert Wilson Shopland | 1,375
1949 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | Joseph Miville Dechene | 7,566
| Social Credit | Orvis A. Kennedy | 4,982
| Co-operative Commonwealth | John Hannochko | 1,738
| Independent SC | John Nykiforuk | 1,198
| Progressive Conservative | Joseph H. Bédard | 1,139
1953 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | Joseph Miville Dechene | 7,956
| Social Credit | Albert Edward Pearce | 5,945
| Labor–Progressive | Daniel Gamache | 1,168
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Robert Joseph Philipzyk | 990
1957 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal | Joseph Miville Dechene | 7,453
| Social Credit | Archie A. McPhail | 7,029
| Progressive Conservative | Alec Shore | 2,116
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Nicholas W. Svekla | 1,381

### 1958 election

[edit]

1958 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Progressive Conservative | Jack Bigg | 9,751
| Liberal | Joachim Peter Renaud | 4,473
| Social Credit | Archie A. McPhail | 3,806
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Nick Baron | 820

### 1962 election

[edit]

1962 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Progressive Conservative | Jack Bigg | 9,678
| Liberal | Jules Van Brabant | 5,554
| Social Credit | Joe Mikkelsen | 4,679
| New Democratic | Pierre-Maurice Vallée | 1,306

### 1963 election

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1963 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Progressive Conservative | Jack Bigg | 12,074
| Liberal | Richard Hall | 5,416
| Social Credit | Peter Chaba | 3,601
| New Democratic | Alex Szchechina | 1,045

### 1965 election

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1965 Canadian federal election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Progressive Conservative | Jack Bigg | 11,652
| Liberal | Dave Hunter | 6,692
| Social Credit | Joe Van Hauwaert | 2,197
| New Democratic | Peter Grant Forman | 1,016

## See also

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* List of Canadian electoral districts
* Historical federal electoral districts of Canada

## References

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1. ^ Edmonton Bulletin, Nov. 16, 1926, p. 1
2. ^ "Athabasca election scandals". The UFA (April 1, 1926): 3.

## Further reading

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* Canada. Parliament. House of Commons (1929). Evidence and report in respect to the Commissioner's reports on the alleged existence of corrupt or illegal practices in the election held in the electoral district of Athabaska, in the Province of Alberta, on the 29th of October, 1925. Ottawa: King's Printer.

## External links

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* Riding history for Athabasca (1966-1966) from the Library of Parliament

* v
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Federal ridings in rural Alberta

Conservative|

* Airdrie—Cochrane
* Battle River—Crowfoot
* Bow River
* Foothills
* Fort McMurray—Cold Lake
* Grande Prairie
* Lakeland
* Leduc—Wetaskiwin
* Lethbridge
* Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner
* Parkland
* Peace River—Westlock
* Ponoka—Didsbury
* Red Deer
* St. Albert—Sturgeon River
* Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan
* Yellowhead

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