David Milwyn Duggan
Encyclopedia
David Milwyn Duggan was a politician in Alberta
, Canada
, a mayor of Edmonton
, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
, and a leader of the Conservative Party of Alberta
.
May 5, 1879. In 1893 he entered the dry goods business, in which he would remain until leaving Wales. In 1902 he married Marian Price; the pair would have four children.
Duggan immigrated to Canada in 1905 to farm near Nanton, Alberta
. He moved to Edmonton in 1912 and founded Duggan Investments, Ltd., a firm handling bonds and investments.
when, despite lacking any previous experience, he defeated incumbent Joseph Clarke
. Clarke had become unpopular with the city's Board of Trade and both of its newspapers owing to what they perceived as anti-business policies, and these groups supported Duggan aggressively. While Duggan was mayor, Alberta's first radio station, CJCA, began operations, and Duggan himself concluded its inaugural broadcast by boasting "Edmonton leads the way in all Alberta. Calgary and others follow. That is all. Goodnight." He was re-elected in 1921
and 1922
, but did not seek re-election after his last term expired.
in the 1926 election
as a Conservative
in the riding of Edmonton
. Duggan succeeded Alexander McGillivray
as leader in 1930, and led the party into that year's election
. In this election, the Conservatives picked up a seat in Edmonton (taking three of the city's six seats), but were shut out of seats outside of Edmonton and Calgary
, as they had been in 1926. Moreover, they lost ground to the rival Alberta Liberal Party
in the race to form the official opposition to the governing United Farmers of Alberta
. Duggan easily retained his own seat.
The situation worsened in the 1935 election
, when the Social Credit Party of Alberta
swept the province, reducing the Conservatives to two members, Duggan and Calgary MLA
John Irwin
(the other parties fared no better - the Liberals lost six of the eleven seats they had won in 1930, while the UFA, owners of a majority government before the writ was dropped, were eliminated from the legislature completely). In response to this catastrophe, Duggan's Conservatives formed an alliance with the Liberals, whereby candidates for both parties would run as independents and would not run against each other. In the 1940 election
, there were nineteen independents elected, including Duggan.
During his last full term in the legislature, Duggan brought to the house's attention a government-sponsored leaflet that named him and eight other men (William Antrobus Griesbach
among them) as "Banker's Toadies" and urged readers to "exterminate them". This incident saw two men, including Social Credit MLA Joseph Unwin
, prosecuted for libel and counseling murder.
Church, the Rotary Club
, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, and the Red Cross
. He died May 4, 1942 while still an MLA. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Edmonton.
In 2004, Edmonton City Council
passed a motion directing its Names Advisory Committee to strike a subcommittee whose purpose would be, among other things, to honour Duggan by naming a city feature after him.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a mayor of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
, and a leader of the Conservative Party of Alberta
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
.
Early life
David Duggan was born in Builth, WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
May 5, 1879. In 1893 he entered the dry goods business, in which he would remain until leaving Wales. In 1902 he married Marian Price; the pair would have four children.
Duggan immigrated to Canada in 1905 to farm near Nanton, Alberta
Nanton, Alberta
Nanton is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. Nanton was named after Sir Augustus Meredith Nanton, of Winnipeg who directed firms that offered financing for farms and ranches throughout the west...
. He moved to Edmonton in 1912 and founded Duggan Investments, Ltd., a firm handling bonds and investments.
Municipal politics
Duggan ran for mayor in the 1920 Edmonton electionEdmonton municipal election, 1920
The 1920 municipal election was held December 13, 1920 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board. J Cormack, Joseph Gariépy, and J J Murray were acclaimed to two year terms on the separate school board...
when, despite lacking any previous experience, he defeated incumbent Joseph Clarke
Joseph Clarke
Joseph Andrew Clarke was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served twice as mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, was a candidate for election to the Canadian House of Commons and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and was a member of the Yukon Territorial Council .-Early life:Clarke was born in...
. Clarke had become unpopular with the city's Board of Trade and both of its newspapers owing to what they perceived as anti-business policies, and these groups supported Duggan aggressively. While Duggan was mayor, Alberta's first radio station, CJCA, began operations, and Duggan himself concluded its inaugural broadcast by boasting "Edmonton leads the way in all Alberta. Calgary and others follow. That is all. Goodnight." He was re-elected in 1921
Edmonton municipal election, 1921
The 1921 municipal election was held December 12, 1921 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
and 1922
Edmonton municipal election, 1922
The 1922 municipal election was held December 11, 1922 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
, but did not seek re-election after his last term expired.
Provincial politics
His attentions turned to provincial politics, and he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of AlbertaLegislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
in the 1926 election
Alberta general election, 1926
The Alberta general election of 1926 was the sixth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 28, 1926 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The writs of election were issued on May 10, 1926 allowing for an election period of 40 days.After Herbert...
as a Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
in the riding of Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
. Duggan succeeded Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray (Alberta politician)
Alexander Andrew McGillivray was a lawyer and provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary from 1926 to 1930...
as leader in 1930, and led the party into that year's election
Alberta general election, 1930
The Alberta general election of 1930 was the seventh general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 19, 1930 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. In this election, the Conservatives picked up a seat in Edmonton (taking three of the city's six seats), but were shut out of seats outside of Edmonton and Calgary
Calgary (provincial electoral district)
Calgary was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada that existed from 1905 to 1913 and was recreated from 1921 to 1959. The district returned from one to six members to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
, as they had been in 1926. Moreover, they lost ground to the rival Alberta Liberal Party
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
in the race to form the official opposition to the governing United Farmers of Alberta
United Farmers of Alberta
The United Farmers of Alberta is an association of Alberta farmers that has served many different roles throughout its history as a lobby group, a political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. Since 1934 it has primarily been an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary...
. Duggan easily retained his own seat.
The situation worsened in the 1935 election
Alberta general election, 1935
The Alberta general election of 1935 was the eighth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 22, 1935 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, when the Social Credit Party of Alberta
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
swept the province, reducing the Conservatives to two members, Duggan and Calgary MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
John Irwin
John Irwin (politician)
John Irwin Sr. was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1926 to 1940 sitting with the Conservative caucus in opposition.-Political career:...
(the other parties fared no better - the Liberals lost six of the eleven seats they had won in 1930, while the UFA, owners of a majority government before the writ was dropped, were eliminated from the legislature completely). In response to this catastrophe, Duggan's Conservatives formed an alliance with the Liberals, whereby candidates for both parties would run as independents and would not run against each other. In the 1940 election
Alberta general election, 1940
The Alberta general election of 1940 was the ninth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, was held on March 21, 1940 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, there were nineteen independents elected, including Duggan.
During his last full term in the legislature, Duggan brought to the house's attention a government-sponsored leaflet that named him and eight other men (William Antrobus Griesbach
William Antrobus Griesbach
Major General William Antrobus Griesbach CB CMG DSO was a Canadian politician, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton, and member of the Canadian House of Commons and Senate of Canada.-Early life:...
among them) as "Banker's Toadies" and urged readers to "exterminate them". This incident saw two men, including Social Credit MLA Joseph Unwin
Joseph Unwin
Joseph Henry Unwin was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada.-1935 election:Unwin ran as a candidate for the Alberta Social Credit Party in the 1935 Alberta general election...
, prosecuted for libel and counseling murder.
Personal life, death, and legacy
Duggan was active with the BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church, the Rotary Club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, and the Red Cross
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
. He died May 4, 1942 while still an MLA. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Edmonton.
In 2004, Edmonton City Council
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
passed a motion directing its Names Advisory Committee to strike a subcommittee whose purpose would be, among other things, to honour Duggan by naming a city feature after him.
External links
- Edmonton Public Library Biography of David Duggan
- City of Edmonton biography of David Duggan
- Edmonton Economic Development Corporation's account of CJCA's first broadcast
- History of the "Banker's Toadies" case
- Minutes of the Edmonton City Council meeting at which the Names Advisory Committee was directed to honour Duggan