Harold E. Tanner

Harold Eaid Tanner (December 4, 1892 – June 28, 1982) was a service man, teacher and Canadian politician. He served as an elected representative on both the civic and provincial levels of government in the province of Alberta. He served as an Alderman on Edmonton City Council from 1946 to 1955. He later served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1959 sitting with the Liberal caucus in opposition.

Harold Eaid Tanner
City of Edmonton Alderman
In office
November 6, 1946 – October 19, 1955
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
August 5, 1952 – June 18, 1959
Serving with Edgar Gerhart (1952-1959) Ernest Manning (1952-1959) Abe Miller (1955-1959) John Page (1952-1959) James Prowse (1952-1959) Elmer Ernest Roper (1952-1955) Joseph Ross (1952-1959)
Preceded byClayton Adams and Lou Heard
Succeeded byDistrict Abolished
ConstituencyEdmonton
Personal details
Born(1892-12-04)December 4, 1892[1]
Tillsonburg, Ontario
DiedJune 28, 1982(1982-06-28) (aged 89)
Victoria, British Columbia
Political partyLiberal
Occupationservice man, teacher and politician
Military service
AllegianceCanada
Branch/serviceRoyal Canadian Army
Unit49th Battalion
Battles/warsWorld War I

Early life

Harold E. Tanner was born in Tillsonburg, Ontario in 1893. He served overseas with the 49th Battalion in World War I. After the war Tanner moved to Alberta and became a teacher and later a school principal. He worked at schools in Wetaskiwin and Stettler. He moved to Edmonton in 1928 and began working with the public school board until he retired in 1958. Tanner was also President of the Royal Canadian Legion.[2]

Political career

Municipal

Tanner ran for a seat to Edmonton City Council in the 1946 Edmonton municipal election. He won the third place seat out of the six available in the field of thirteen candidate. Tanner first term would only be a year on council instead of the regular two-year term due to a previous Alderman vacating his seat.[3]

Tanner ran for a second term in office in the 1947 Edmonton municipal election. He was very close to finishing in first place in the field of thirteen candidates just 89 votes behind the leader Armour Ford. He won a full two-year term.[4]

Tanner ran for a third term in the 1949 Edmonton municipal election. This time Tanner surpassed Ford in popular vote to head the poles in the nine candidate race.[5]

Tanner ran for a fourth term in office in the 1951 Edmonton municipal election. For the second time, Tanner headed the polls finish first with a commanding plurality over the field of thirteen candidates.[6]

After one year into his fourth term, Tanner won a seat to the Alberta Legislature in 1952. He decided to keep his municipal seat. Tanner ran for re-election to his fifth term in the 1953 Edmonton municipal election. He once again finished in first place easily winning re-election.[7]

Tanner did not re-offer for election leaving city council in 1957.

Provincial

Tanner ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature while still a municipal councilor in the 1952 Alberta general election as a Liberal candidate in the electoral district of Edmonton. He won the seventh place seat on the final vote count to earn his first term in provincial office.[8]

Tanner ran for a second term in office in the 1955 Alberta general election. He placed significantly better, this time making the vote threshold and winning the fourth place seat.[9]

Tanner retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the Assembly in 1959.

Late life

Tanner moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1966 and lived the rest of his life there. He died on June 28, 1982.[2] The streets of Tanner Link and Tanner Wynd in the community of Terwillegar Towne Edmonton were named in his honor.[10]

References
  1. Death Certificate
  2. "Biographies of Mayors and Councillors - S, T". Edmonton Public Library. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  3. "Election Results 1945 - 2007". City of Edmonton. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  4. "Election Results 1945 - 2007". City of Edmonton. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  5. "Election Results 1945 - 2007". City of Edmonton. p. 7. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  6. "Election Results 1945 - 2007". City of Edmonton. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  7. "Election Results 1945 - 2007". City of Edmonton. p. 17. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  8. "Edmonton results 1952". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  9. "Edmonton results 1955". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  10. Merrily K. Aubrey (2004). Naming Edmonton: from Ada to Zoie. University of Alberta Press. p. 300. ISBN 0-88864-423-X.
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