Dwight Johnson
Encyclopedia
Dwight Lyman Johnson was a politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
from 1943 to 1945. Elected as a member of the Manitoba Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, Johnson had a tenuous relationship with the party leadership and was expelled from the party caucus in 1945. After leaving the legislature, he became a member of the communist Labour-Progressive Party
.
Johnson was born in Rapid City
, Manitoba. His ancestors had moved from Pennsylvania
to Ontario
in the late eighteenth century. Many were Quakers, and almost all were farmers. He was educated in Rapid City, and at the Brandon
Normal School, Brandon College and the Manitoba Medical College. He received a degree in medicine in 1926.
He served in the ranks of the 27th Battalion during World War I
, and was awarded a Military Medal
and recommended for a commission. From 1926 to 1931, he served in the Philippines
as a hospital superintendent. On returning to Manitoba, he served on the Brandon School Board and the Brandon Health Unit from 1937 to 1943.
Johnson became politically active during this period. He was a member of the Brandon Reconstruction Club in the 1930s, a local division of the Canadian League for Social Reconstruction
. In 1936, he became a vice-president of the Brandon CCF club. Johnson was a vocal proponent of socialism
, and criticized others in the party who were reluctant to use the term openly.
He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in a by-election
held in the Brandon constituency on November 18, 1943. Along with Beresford Richards
, who had been elected for The Pas earlier in the year, he soon became a prominent figure on the party's left-wing. The CCF was the official opposition party during this period, and Johnson distinguished himself in the legislature as his party's health and welfare critic.
Since the 1930s, Johnson had called for cooperation among Canada's left-wing parties. In 1945, this position caused both Johnson and Richards to be expelled from the CCF caucus. Johnson and Richards argued that the CCF should promote friendly relations with the Soviet Union
after World War II
, and should seek cooperation with other progressive and working-class parties to prevent the Conservatives
from returning to power at the federal level. This strategy of cooperation was identical to that favoured by the Labour Progressive Party in 1945. Many in the CCF believed Johnson and Richards were directly influenced by the LPP, and accused them of disrupting the party. After Richards made their position public in a speech to the legislature, the provincial CCF council suspended both MLAs from the party.
Johnson and Richards sat in the legislature as independent members, and sought re-election as "Independent CCF" candidates in the 1945 provincial election
. Richards was re-elected, and later returned to the CCF fokd. Johnson faced opposition from an official CCF candidate, however, and finished third. The winner in Brandon was Leslie McDorman
from the Liberal-Progressive
party. Johnson appealed for reinstatement to the CCF after the election, but was rejected at the party's December 1945 convention.
Unlike Richards, whose motivations in 1945 have been described as "naive and confused", Johnson's personal philosophy had shifted to Marxism
by this period. He joined the Labour Progressive Party a few years after his expulsion from the CCF. In 1949, he accused social democratic parties such as the CCF of being traitors to the working-class, and of propping up the existing capitalist order.
Johnson ran as an independent candidate in the riding of Brandon
in the 1949 federal election
. Interestingly, neither the CCF nor the LPP endorsed an official candidate, leaving Johnson as the de facto candidate of a united left. He finished a distant third, behind Liberal
James Ewen Matthews
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Det&Include=Y&rid=61. Johnson later attended the Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference
in the People's Republic of China
in 1952, during the period of the Korean War
.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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...
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
from 1943 to 1945. Elected as a member of the Manitoba Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, Johnson had a tenuous relationship with the party leadership and was expelled from the party caucus in 1945. After leaving the legislature, he became a member of the communist Labour-Progressive Party
Labour-Progressive Party
For the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government in New Zealand see the Fifth Labour Government of New ZealandThe Labor-Progressive Party was the legal political organization of the Communist Party of Canada between 1943 and 1959....
.
Johnson was born in Rapid City
Rapid City, Manitoba
Rapid City is a town in southwest Manitoba, Canada located about 30km north of Brandon, Manitoba. Rapid City is situated in the Rural Municipality of Saskatchewan and is built on the banks of the Little Saskatchewan River. The town is a small farming community with a population of about five...
, Manitoba. His ancestors had moved from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in the late eighteenth century. Many were Quakers, and almost all were farmers. He was educated in Rapid City, and at the Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
Normal School, Brandon College and the Manitoba Medical College. He received a degree in medicine in 1926.
He served in the ranks of the 27th Battalion during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was awarded a Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
and recommended for a commission. From 1926 to 1931, he served in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
as a hospital superintendent. On returning to Manitoba, he served on the Brandon School Board and the Brandon Health Unit from 1937 to 1943.
Johnson became politically active during this period. He was a member of the Brandon Reconstruction Club in the 1930s, a local division of the Canadian League for Social Reconstruction
League for Social Reconstruction
The League for Social Reconstruction was a circle of Canadian socialist intellectuals officially formed in 1932, though it had its beginnings during a camping retreat in 1931. These academics were advocating radical social and economic reforms and political education. Industrialization,...
. In 1936, he became a vice-president of the Brandon CCF club. Johnson was a vocal proponent of socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, and criticized others in the party who were reluctant to use the term openly.
He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held in the Brandon constituency on November 18, 1943. Along with Beresford Richards
Beresford Richards
Beresford Richards was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1943 to 1949...
, who had been elected for The Pas earlier in the year, he soon became a prominent figure on the party's left-wing. The CCF was the official opposition party during this period, and Johnson distinguished himself in the legislature as his party's health and welfare critic.
Since the 1930s, Johnson had called for cooperation among Canada's left-wing parties. In 1945, this position caused both Johnson and Richards to be expelled from the CCF caucus. Johnson and Richards argued that the CCF should promote friendly relations with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and should seek cooperation with other progressive and working-class parties to prevent the Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
from returning to power at the federal level. This strategy of cooperation was identical to that favoured by the Labour Progressive Party in 1945. Many in the CCF believed Johnson and Richards were directly influenced by the LPP, and accused them of disrupting the party. After Richards made their position public in a speech to the legislature, the provincial CCF council suspended both MLAs from the party.
Johnson and Richards sat in the legislature as independent members, and sought re-election as "Independent CCF" candidates in the 1945 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1945
Manitoba's general election of October 15, 1945 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.The 1945 provincial election was extremely different from the previous election, which was held in 1941...
. Richards was re-elected, and later returned to the CCF fokd. Johnson faced opposition from an official CCF candidate, however, and finished third. The winner in Brandon was Leslie McDorman
Leslie McDorman
Leslie McDorman was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1945 to 1949 as a Liberal-Progressive. He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1945 provincial election, representing the constituency of Brandon.McDorman's won the seat as the...
from the Liberal-Progressive
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
party. Johnson appealed for reinstatement to the CCF after the election, but was rejected at the party's December 1945 convention.
Unlike Richards, whose motivations in 1945 have been described as "naive and confused", Johnson's personal philosophy had shifted to Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
by this period. He joined the Labour Progressive Party a few years after his expulsion from the CCF. In 1949, he accused social democratic parties such as the CCF of being traitors to the working-class, and of propping up the existing capitalist order.
Johnson ran as an independent candidate in the riding of Brandon
Brandon (electoral district)
Brandon was a federal electoral district in the province of Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons from 1896 to 1953.It was created in 1892 from parts of Marquette and Selkirk ridings....
in the 1949 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
. Interestingly, neither the CCF nor the LPP endorsed an official candidate, leaving Johnson as the de facto candidate of a united left. He finished a distant third, behind Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
James Ewen Matthews
James Ewen Matthews
James Ewen Matthews was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Albany, Prince Edward Island....
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Det&Include=Y&rid=61. Johnson later attended the Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference
Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference
The Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference was held in Beijing, China from October 2-12, 1952. Delegates from dozens of countries attended the conference, which including a number of speeches and opening remarks by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong....
in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1952, during the period of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.