Rice Sheppard
Encyclopedia
Rice Sheppard was a politician and farmers' activist in Alberta
, Canada
. He served on Edmonton City Council
for many years, ran for mayoral, provincial, and federal office, and was an executive member of the United Farmers of Alberta
.
, Berkshire
, England
and was educated at the Wesleyan School.His father was James Sheppard, he was married to Louisa (née Barrett) Sheppard and in total they had 13 children. Family stories say that the Sheppard family was thrown out of Lambourn by the Squire for not being Church of England. James and Louisa moved to Kent
, England
. Rice took his first job when he was ten years old, working at a store. At the age of twenty-one, he opened a bakery
in Clapham
; this business expanded to four shops by the time that he sold it in 1897. In 1883, he married Elizabeth Mary Major (she died in 1929, after which Sheppard married Henriette Rattan). He immigrated to Canada in 1897, and took up farming near Edmonton.
, when he sought election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
as a Conservative
candidate in Strathcona
. He was soundly defeated in the two person race by the incumbent, Liberal
Premier Alexander Rutherford. Around the same time, Sheppard was active with the Temperance and Moral Reform League of Alberta, which advocated for prohibition
in Alberta. Their efforts would be successful in 1916.
Sheppard was active with the United Farmers of Alberta
, and was appointed to a committee responsible for setting up Alberta's first municipal hospitals (the committee was chaired by UFA Health Convenor Irene Parlby
and also included UFA President Henry Wise Wood
and future Premier Herbert Greenfield
). He never ran for the party, but did seek provincial office in a 1937 by-election in Edmonton
. As the UFA had effectively disbanded its political arm after its total defeat in the 1935 election
(it would do so formally in 1939), it did not run a candidate in the by-election, and Sheppard ran as an independent
; he finished last of five candidates with under one percent of the vote, as Edward Leslie Gray
held the riding for the Liberals (Sheppard's other opponents were Joseph Clarke
, Margaret Crang, and Jan Lakeman
, all of whom had been Labour
allies of Sheppard's municipally).
and ran in seventeen municipal elections (five for mayor and twelve for alderman). The first of these was the 1913 election
, when he was elected to a two year term as an alderman. He ran for re-election at the conclusion of this term, in the 1915 election
, but was defeated, placing tenth of fourteen candidates. Thereafter, he stayed out of municipal politics for four years.
With the advent of political parties at the local level in Edmonton, he aligned himself with the Labour faction, against the more conservative Citizens' Committee. In the 1919 election
, Sheppard made a return to aldermanic office, finishing third of twelve candidates, as Labour retained the mayoralty and three of the five available aldermanic seats. Sheppard did not seek re-election at the conclusion of this term, but did return to office in 1922
, finishing second of sixteen candidates; he was the only Labour candidate elected this election, as the Citizens' Committee (now renamed the Citizens' League) too every remaining seat.
Rather than seek re-election as an alderman in the 1924 election
, Sheppard challenged mayor Kenny Blatchford's re-election attempt. He was defeated in the two person race, taking just under forty percent of the vote. He tried again the following year
, this time taking less than ten percent of the vote in a fourth place finish of six candidates. Candidates defeating him included Blatchford, who won again, and Joseph Clarke
, who had previously been elected mayor on Sheppard's Labour slate. Blatchford didn't seek re-election in 1926
, and Sheppard again ran for mayor. Labour nominated Dan Knott, and Sheppard ran as an independent
. Fellow independent Ambrose Bury was elected, and Sheppard finished last in a six person field.
In 1928
opted to run for alderman again. He did not receive a nomination from Labour, and ran as an Independent Labour candidate. He finished fifth of fourteen candidates - ahead of two of the Labour candidates - and was elected to a one year term. As an incumbent, he was welcomed back into the Labour fold, and was re-elected as part of that slate in the 1929 election
(when he finished fifth of fifteen candidates), the 1931 election
(when he finished first of fifteen candidates), and the 1933 election
(when he finished first of seventeen candidates). However, he broke with Labour again in 1934
when he challenged incumbent Labour mayor Knott as an independent. Knott was defeated, but it was by Clarke (running as an Independent Labour candidate); Sheppard finished a distant fourth of five candidates.
1935 saw a reconfiguration of Edmonton's political parties. What had hitherto been a competition between Labour and the Citizens' Committee (the latter under a variety of names) became a multi-party system. Clarke was re-elected in the 1935 election
as a Civic Youth Association candidate, and three of the five aldermanic seats went to candidates running under the Social Credit
label. A new left-leaning party, the United People's League, replaced Labour the following year. Sheppard ran in the 1936 election
as a Social Credit candidate, but he finished sixth of sixteen aldermanic candidates as the Citizens' Committee swept the five available seats; this was the first time since 1915 that Sheppard had been defeated in an aldermanic race. It would not be the last, as unsuccessful bids followed in 1940
(when he ran as a member of the newly formed Civic Progressive Association and finished tenth of nineteen candidates) and 1941
(when he ran as an independent and finished last of fourteen candidates).
In 1944
, Sheppard was the sole challenger to incumbent mayor John Wesley Fry
, but won less than thirty percent of the vote. He made a final bid for election in the 1945 election
, but finished twelfth of fourteen candidates as an independent candidate for alderman.
, Sheppard ran as a Labour
candidate in Strathcona
. He finished last of three candidates, as Progressive Party of Canada
candidate Daniel Webster Warner
was elected.
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...
. He served on 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...
for many years, ran for mayoral, provincial, and federal office, and was an executive member of the 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...
.
Early life
Sheppard was born April 2, 1861 in LambournLambourn
Lambourn is a large village and civil parish in the northwestern part of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt racehorse training....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and was educated at the Wesleyan School.His father was James Sheppard, he was married to Louisa (née Barrett) Sheppard and in total they had 13 children. Family stories say that the Sheppard family was thrown out of Lambourn by the Squire for not being Church of England. James and Louisa moved to Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Rice took his first job when he was ten years old, working at a store. At the age of twenty-one, he opened a bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
in Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
; this business expanded to four shops by the time that he sold it in 1897. In 1883, he married Elizabeth Mary Major (she died in 1929, after which Sheppard married Henriette Rattan). He immigrated to Canada in 1897, and took up farming near Edmonton.
Provincial politics
Sheppard's first bid for elected office took place in the 1909 provincial electionAlberta general election, 1909
The Alberta general election was 1909 was the second general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on 22 March 1909 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, when he sought election to 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...
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...
candidate in Strathcona
Strathcona (provincial electoral district)
Strathcona is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It is not to be confused with Edmonton-Strathcona, another provincial electoral district within the city of Edmonton, or with the federal electoral district Edmonton-Strathcona.The riding of Strathcona...
. He was soundly defeated in the two person race by the incumbent, Liberal
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...
Premier Alexander Rutherford. Around the same time, Sheppard was active with the Temperance and Moral Reform League of Alberta, which advocated for prohibition
Prohibition in Canada
The temperance movement reached its height in Canada in the 1920s, when outside imports were cut off by provincial referendums. As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation restricting the sale of alcohol to minors and imposing excise...
in Alberta. Their efforts would be successful in 1916.
Sheppard was active with the 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...
, and was appointed to a committee responsible for setting up Alberta's first municipal hospitals (the committee was chaired by UFA Health Convenor Irene Parlby
Irene Parlby
Irene Parlby was a Canadian women's farm leader, activist and politician.Born in London, England, Parlby came to Canada in 1896. In 1913, Parlby helped to found the first women's local of the United Farmers of Alberta. In 1921, she was elected to the Alberta Legislature for the riding of Lacombe,...
and also included UFA President Henry Wise Wood
Henry Wise Wood
Henry Wise Wood was an American-born Canadian agrarian thinker and activist. He became director in 1914 and was elected president of the United Farmers of Alberta in 1916. Under his leadership the UFA became the most powerful political lobby group in the province...
and future Premier Herbert Greenfield
Herbert Greenfield
Herbert W. Greenfield was a Canadian politician who served as the fourth Premier of Alberta from 1921 until 1925. Born in Winchester, Hampshire, in England, he immigrated to Canada in his late twenties, settling first in Ontario and then in Alberta, where he farmed...
). He never ran for the party, but did seek provincial office in a 1937 by-election in 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....
. As the UFA had effectively disbanded its political arm after its total defeat 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....
(it would do so formally in 1939), it did not run a candidate in the by-election, and Sheppard ran as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
; he finished last of five candidates with under one percent of the vote, as Edward Leslie Gray
Edward Leslie Gray
Edward Leslie Gray was a politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from Alberta, Canada.Gray was elected in a by-election in the Edmonton after the death of George Van Allen. He also became the Alberta Liberal Party leader in 1937...
held the riding for the Liberals (Sheppard's other opponents were 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...
, Margaret Crang, and Jan Lakeman
Jan Lakeman
John "Jan" Lakeman was a mid 20th century Labour rights activist, perennial election candidate and former leader of the provincial Communist Party in Alberta, Canada.-Political career:...
, all of whom had been Labour
Labour candidates and parties in Canada
There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s...
allies of Sheppard's municipally).
Municipal politics
Rice Sheppard served a total of nearly twelve years on Edmonton City CouncilEdmonton 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...
and ran in seventeen municipal elections (five for mayor and twelve for alderman). The first of these was the 1913 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1913
The 1913 municipal election was held December 8, 1913 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, trustees to sit on the public school board, and four trustees to sit on the separate school board....
, when he was elected to a two year term as an alderman. He ran for re-election at the conclusion of this term, in the 1915 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1915
The 1915 municipal election was held December 13, 1915 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
, but was defeated, placing tenth of fourteen candidates. Thereafter, he stayed out of municipal politics for four years.
With the advent of political parties at the local level in Edmonton, he aligned himself with the Labour faction, against the more conservative Citizens' Committee. In the 1919 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1919
The 1919 municipal election was held December 8, 1919 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board. T P Malone, Paul Janvrin, T S Magee, and Joseph Henri Picard were acclaimed to two year terms on the separate school board...
, Sheppard made a return to aldermanic office, finishing third of twelve candidates, as Labour retained the mayoralty and three of the five available aldermanic seats. Sheppard did not seek re-election at the conclusion of this term, but did return to office in 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...
, finishing second of sixteen candidates; he was the only Labour candidate elected this election, as the Citizens' Committee (now renamed the Citizens' League) too every remaining seat.
Rather than seek re-election as an alderman in the 1924 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1924
The 1924 municipal election was held December 8, 1924 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
, Sheppard challenged mayor Kenny Blatchford's re-election attempt. He was defeated in the two person race, taking just under forty percent of the vote. He tried again the following year
Edmonton municipal election, 1925
The 1925 municipal election was held December 14, 1925 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
, this time taking less than ten percent of the vote in a fourth place finish of six candidates. Candidates defeating him included Blatchford, who won again, and 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...
, who had previously been elected mayor on Sheppard's Labour slate. Blatchford didn't seek re-election in 1926
Edmonton municipal election, 1926
The 1926 municipal election was held December 13, 1926 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
, and Sheppard again ran for mayor. Labour nominated Dan Knott, and Sheppard ran as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. Fellow independent Ambrose Bury was elected, and Sheppard finished last in a six person field.
In 1928
Edmonton municipal election, 1928
The 1928 municipal election was held December 10, 1928 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
opted to run for alderman again. He did not receive a nomination from Labour, and ran as an Independent Labour candidate. He finished fifth of fourteen candidates - ahead of two of the Labour candidates - and was elected to a one year term. As an incumbent, he was welcomed back into the Labour fold, and was re-elected as part of that slate in the 1929 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1929
The 1929 municipal election was held December 9, 1929 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
(when he finished fifth of fifteen candidates), the 1931 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1931
The 1931 municipal election was held November 11, 1931 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board .There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: James Collisson, Charles Gibbs,...
(when he finished first of fifteen candidates), and the 1933 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1933
The 1933 Edmonton municipal election was held November 8, 1933 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
(when he finished first of seventeen candidates). However, he broke with Labour again in 1934
Edmonton municipal election, 1934
The 1934 municipal election was held November 14, 1934 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
when he challenged incumbent Labour mayor Knott as an independent. Knott was defeated, but it was by Clarke (running as an Independent Labour candidate); Sheppard finished a distant fourth of five candidates.
1935 saw a reconfiguration of Edmonton's political parties. What had hitherto been a competition between Labour and the Citizens' Committee (the latter under a variety of names) became a multi-party system. Clarke was re-elected in the 1935 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1935
The 1935 municipal election was held November 13, 1935 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
as a Civic Youth Association candidate, and three of the five aldermanic seats went to candidates running under the Social Credit
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....
label. A new left-leaning party, the United People's League, replaced Labour the following year. Sheppard ran in the 1936 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1936
The 1936 municipal election was held November 12, 1936 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board . Voters also rejected a proposal to extend the mayor's term to two years...
as a Social Credit candidate, but he finished sixth of sixteen aldermanic candidates as the Citizens' Committee swept the five available seats; this was the first time since 1915 that Sheppard had been defeated in an aldermanic race. It would not be the last, as unsuccessful bids followed in 1940
Edmonton municipal election, 1940
The 1940 municipal election was held November 13, 1940 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council. Elections for school trustees were not held, as candidates for both the public and separate boards were acclaimed....
(when he ran as a member of the newly formed Civic Progressive Association and finished tenth of nineteen candidates) and 1941
Edmonton municipal election, 1941
The 1941 municipal election was held November 12, 1941 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board .There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: James...
(when he ran as an independent and finished last of fourteen candidates).
In 1944
Edmonton municipal election, 1944
The 1944 municipal election was held November 1, 1944 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
, Sheppard was the sole challenger to incumbent mayor John Wesley Fry
John Wesley Fry
John Wesley Fry was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Early life:John Fry was born in Woodstock, Ontario on December 5, 1876. He grew up in Woodstock and Owen Sound and moved to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1897 to attend Normal School...
, but won less than thirty percent of the vote. He made a final bid for election in the 1945 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1945
The 1945 municipal election was held November 7, 1945 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and five trustees to sit on the public school board .There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: Sidney...
, but finished twelfth of fourteen candidates as an independent candidate for alderman.
Federal politics
In the 1921 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
, Sheppard ran as a Labour
Labour candidates and parties in Canada
There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s...
candidate in Strathcona
Strathcona (electoral district)
Strathcona was a federal electoral district in the Northwest Territories and Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1925. When it was created, it was part of the Northwest Territories. In 1905, when Saskatchewan and Alberta became provinces, it was split...
. He finished last of three candidates, as Progressive Party of Canada
Progressive Party of Canada
The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...
candidate Daniel Webster Warner
Daniel Webster Warner
Daniel Webster Warner was a farmer, rancher and Canadian federal politician.Warner first ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the 1917 Canadian federal election in the Battle River district. He ran in that election as a Laurier Liberal candidate and was defeated in a close race by...
was elected.