William Bredin

William Fletcher Bredin
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
November 9, 1905 – March 22, 1909
Preceded by New district
Succeeded by Jean Côté
Constituency Athabasca
Personal details
Born 1862
Stormont County, Ontario
Died December 30, 1942 (aged 80)
Political party Liberal
Spouse(s) Anna Brown Marsh
Occupation Farmer

William Fletcher Bredin (1862 – 1942) was a Canadian politician and pioneer. Born in Stormont County, Ontario,[1] he came west to Red Deer Crossing in 1883, where he took over a claim from Esias Myers. He subsequently moved to Calgary, where he opened a store with R. Steen, engaged in freighting between Calgary and Edmonton, and was active with the Oddfellows. He also established the Climax coal mine, 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Calgary.[2] He later moved to Edmonton and then further north, establishing the Buffalo Lakes Trading Post in the area later known as Lamerton in 1892, when there were only seven settlers in the area. He sold the post to Joe Edminson in 1895.[3] Around 1897, he travelled by boat down the Athabasca River to the Mackenzie River.[1]

He eventually settled in the Peace River Country, where he opened a series of fur trading posts with James Cornwall; they sold these to the Revillon Frères in 1906.[4] By 1907 he claimed to have lived "all over the Northwest pretty well".[1]

He ran in 1905 Alberta provincial election as a Liberal in Athabasca, and was the only candidate acclaimed during that election.[5] In office, he advocated for a railway to be built into the northeast corner of the province.[6] He also gave testimony to a select committee of the Senate of Canada in 1907 about agricultural conditions in northwest Canada, drawing on his experience living and travelling in the area, including his boat trip down the Athabasca of ten years before.[1] In his testimony, he estimated that the "good land north of Edmonton, east of the Rocky mountains" amounted to at least 100,000,000 acres (40,000,000 ha).[7] He married Anna Brown Marsh in Clarksburg, Ontario in September 1907.[8]

Bredin sought re-election in the 1909 election, but was defeated by fellow Liberal Jean Côté.[9] He sought to return to office in Peace River in the 1913 election as an independent Liberal, but finished a distant third of three candidates.[10]

After leaving office, Bredin returned to farming and fur trading around Lesser Slave Lake. During the 1920s, he served as a director of the United Farmers of Alberta; in this capacity, he moved a successful resolution protesting a new pelt tax, as many northern farmers supplemented their incomes by trapping.[11]

William Bredin died on December 30, 1942 at the age of 80.[12]

Electoral record

1913 Alberta general election results (Peace River)[10] Turnout 82.2%
     Conservative Alphaeus Patterson 475 49.53%
     Liberal William Archibald Rae 437 45.57%
     Independent Liberal William Fletcher Bredin 47 4.90%
1909 Alberta general election results (Athabasca)[9] Turnout 62.3%
     Liberal Jean Côté 230 59.59%
     Liberal William Fletcher Bredin 149 38.60%
     Conservative V. Maurice 7 1.81%
1905 Alberta general election results (Athabasca)[13] Turnout N/A
     Liberal William Fletcher Bredin Acclaimed

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Davis 95
  2. ↑ "Pioneer Profiles (B)". Southern Alberta Pioneers and Their Descendants. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  3. ↑ "Alberta History, 1882–1883". Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  4. ↑ "James Kennedy Cornwall Fonds". Archives Canada. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  5. ↑ Thomas 28
  6. ↑ Thomas 64
  7. ↑ Davis 98
  8. ↑ "Report of marriages". Edmonton Daily. September 11, 1907. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  9. 1 2 "Election results for Athabasca, 1909". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  10. 1 2 "Election results for Athabasca, 1909". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  11. ↑ Rennie 75
  12. ↑ "1942 Edmonton Journal obituaries". Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  13. ↑ "Election results for Athabasca, 1909". Alberta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
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