Richard Craig
Encyclopedia
Richard W. Craig was a politician in Manitoba
, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
from 1922 to 1927, and was a cabinet minister in the government of John Bracken
.
Craig was born in Underwood
, Ontario
, and was educated in Port Elgin
and Winnipeg. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1897, and an LL.B. degree in 1904. He worked as a barrister-at-law, and was appointed to the bench of the Law Society of Manitoba in 1916. Craig also served as chair of the Winnipeg School Board, the Social Service Council of Canada, and the Winnipeg Canadian Club.
Craig was initially Conservative
, and endorsed the Manitoba Conservative Party
in the 1915 election
on the grounds that it was more supportive of higher education than was the Manitoba Liberal Party
. He later left the Conservatives, and was elected to Manitoba's legislature in the 1922 provincial election
as a candidate of the newly formed Progressive Association
in Winnipeg. During this period, Winnipeg elected ten members via a single transferable ballot. Despite finishing twelfth on first preferences and trailing for much of the counting process, he was declared elected for the city's tenth and final position on the last count. Craig was the only member of the Progressive Association elected in the city.
Winnipeg's Progressive Association was aligned with the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), which swept the rural constituencies to emerge as the largest party in the legislature. The UFM and Progressive Association formed government after the election as the Progressive Party of Manitoba
; as the government's only Winnipeg representative, Craig was assured of a cabinet position. He was appointed as the province's Attorney General on August 8, 1922.
Craig emerged as Premier
John Bracken
's most trusted confidante during the parliament which followed, and became known as the government's strongest voice in the legislature. Like the premier, Craig believed that Manitoba should be governed in a non-partisan, efficient and businesslike manner. On January 12, 1925, he was given a secondary portfolio of Minister of Telephones and Telegraphs.
Although a successful minister, Craig chose to retire from the legislature after only a single term. He resumed his practice as a lawyer, and provided legal services for Bracken's ministry in 1929.
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. 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 1922 to 1927, and was a cabinet minister in the government of John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
.
Craig was born in Underwood
Underwood, Ontario
Underwood is an unincorporated community in the Regional Municipality of York in Markham, Ontario, Canada that is located at the corner of Birchmount Road and Steeles Avenue. It is likely considered to be part of Milliken....
, 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....
, and was educated in Port Elgin
Port Elgin, Ontario
Port Elgin is a community in the Ontario municipality of Saugeen Shores. Close to MacGregor Point Provincial Park in Bruce County, the community has several beaches on Lake Huron....
and Winnipeg. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1897, and an LL.B. degree in 1904. He worked as a barrister-at-law, and was appointed to the bench of the Law Society of Manitoba in 1916. Craig also served as chair of the Winnipeg School Board, the Social Service Council of Canada, and the Winnipeg Canadian Club.
Craig was initially Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
, and endorsed the Manitoba Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
in the 1915 election
Manitoba general election, 1915
Manitoba's general election of August 6, 1915 was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was held only one year after the previous general election of 1914. In that election, the governing Conservatives of premier Rodmond P. Roblin were...
on the grounds that it was more supportive of higher education than was the Manitoba Liberal Party
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 :...
. He later left the Conservatives, and was elected to Manitoba's legislature in the 1922 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1922
Manitoba's general election of July 18, 1922 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.As in the previous election of 1920, the city of Winnipeg elected ten members by the single transferable ballot...
as a candidate of the newly formed Progressive Association
Progressive Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
in Winnipeg. During this period, Winnipeg elected ten members via a single transferable ballot. Despite finishing twelfth on first preferences and trailing for much of the counting process, he was declared elected for the city's tenth and final position on the last count. Craig was the only member of the Progressive Association elected in the city.
Winnipeg's Progressive Association was aligned with the United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM), which swept the rural constituencies to emerge as the largest party in the legislature. The UFM and Progressive Association formed government after the election as the Progressive Party of Manitoba
Progressive Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Party of Manitoba, Canada, was a political party that developed from the United Farmers of Manitoba, an agrarian movement that became politically active following World War I...
; as the government's only Winnipeg representative, Craig was assured of a cabinet position. He was appointed as the province's Attorney General on August 8, 1922.
Craig emerged as Premier
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
's most trusted confidante during the parliament which followed, and became known as the government's strongest voice in the legislature. Like the premier, Craig believed that Manitoba should be governed in a non-partisan, efficient and businesslike manner. On January 12, 1925, he was given a secondary portfolio of Minister of Telephones and Telegraphs.
Although a successful minister, Craig chose to retire from the legislature after only a single term. He resumed his practice as a lawyer, and provided legal services for Bracken's ministry in 1929.