James Garfield Gardiner

The Right Hon. James Garfield Gardiner PC, MP, MLA
4th Premier of Saskatchewan
In office February 26, 1926 – September 9, 1929
Preceded by	Charles A. Dunning
Succeeded by	James T.M. Anderson
In office July 19, 1934 – November 1, 1935
Preceded by	James T.M. Anderson
Succeeded by	William John Patterson
Personal details
Born	November 30, 1883(1883-11-30) Farhuquar (South Huron), Ontario
Died	January 12, 1962(1962-01-12) (aged 78) Balcarres, Saskatchewan
Political party	Saskatchewan Liberal Party
Other political affiliations	Liberal Party of Canada
Profession	Educator
Religion	United Church of Canada

James Garfield "Jimmy" Gardiner, PC (30 November 1883, in Farhuquar, Ontario – 12 January 1962, in Balcarres, Saskatchewan) was a Canadian farmer, educator, and politician. He served as the fourth Premier of Saskatchewan, and as a minister in the Canadian Cabinet.

Jimmy Gardiner was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in 1914, and served as Minister of Highways (1922–26) in the government of Premier Charles A. Dunning from 1922 until succeeding Dunning as Premier in 1926. A highly partisan Liberal, his government lost its majority in the legislature in the 1929 election due to patronage scandals. Although the Conservative Party had won fewer seats, it was able to form a "co-operative government" with the support of some Progressive Party and independent Members of the Legislative Assembly.

As Leader of the opposition, Gardiner accused James Anderson's Conservative government of bigotry, alleging that it was linked with the Ku Klux Klan. Gardiner defeated Anderson in the 1934 election, and became Premier a second time. In 1935 he was involved in negotiations to end the On-to-Ottawa Trek in Regina.

Gardiner left provincial politics later in 1935 to join the federal cabinet of Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King as Minister of Agriculture. He was elected to the House of Commons a few months later. Gardiner held the agriculture portfolio for twenty-two years until the 1957 federal election when the Liberal government was defeated. He was a powerful figure in both the King and St. Laurent governments.

In 1947, he was sworn into the Imperial Privy Council, allowing him use of the prenominal honorific The Right Honourable.

Gardiner ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada at the 1948 Liberal leadership convention, but lost to Louis St. Laurent. He remained in the Canadian House of Commons until he lost his seat in the 1958 Diefenbaker sweep.

Saskatchewan's Gardiner Dam is named after him.

In 2006, the CBC agreed to pull the movie Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story from all broadcasts in response to criticism about its portrayals of Gardiner. [1] This controversy is ongoing, and the show may be altered to exclude Gardiner or come with a disclaimer.

External links

• James Garfield Gardiner - Parliament of Canada biography
• Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan Entry
• Saskatchewan Archives Board - Saskatchewan Election Results By Electoral Division

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Robert McKenzie	Member of Parliament for Assiniboia 1936–1940	Succeeded by Jesse Pickard Tripp
Preceded by William Richard Motherwell	Member of Parliament for Melville 1940–1958	Succeeded by James Norris Ormiston

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Preceded by John Archibald McDonald	Member of the Legislative Assembly for North Qu'Appelle 1917-1934	Succeeded by none
Preceded by none	Member of the Legislative Assembly for Melville 1934	Succeeded by Ernest Walter Gerrand
Party political offices
Preceded by Charles A. Dunning	Leader of the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan 1926–1935	Succeeded by William John Patterson