William Hayhurst
Encyclopedia
William Hayhurst was a farmer, principal, teacher, businessman and a Canadian federal politician. He was born in Lyvennet Mill, Morland, England
and died in Toronto, Ontario.
Hayhurst first ran a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1930 Canadian federal election
as a Liberal
candidate in the Wetaskiwin
district. He was defeated by Incumbent William Irvine
, finishing last in a field of three candidates.
Hayhurst ran again in the 1935 Canadian federal election
, this time under the Social Credit
banner in the Vegreville
district. Hayhurst's nomination as the Social Credit candidate was controversial. At the time, the Vegreville Social Credit organization had a two-stage nomination process: delegates elected three candidates at a nomination meeting, one of whom was later chosen by an advisory board. Paul Lesiuk, a teacher of Ukrainian
background, actually received the greatest number of votes, but the board decided to give the nomination to Hayhurst, the second-place candidate. Many Ukrainian members of Social Credit opposed this decision, and refused to support Hayhurst in the general election. He narrowly defeated Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
incumbent Michael Luchkovich
in a hotly contested five-way race. Social Credit had little presence outside Alberta in this period, and Hayhurst sat as an opposition MP.
Anthony Hlynka
, Hayhurst's successor as MP for Vegreville, described him as a "polite, intelligent and well-read" man who "carried out his duties as an MP quite well, but [...] had a difficult time representing a riding in which eighty per cent of the population was of other than British origin". He occasionally made parliamentary statements in support of Ukrainian national aspirations, but had difficulty communicating with his constituents. Many Ukrainian members of the Social Credit party asked him to seek re-election in Athabaska
rather than run again in Vegreville in the 1940 federal election
. He ignored this advice, and let his name stand at the Vegreville Social Credit nomination meeting in September 1939. The result was an unexpected embarrassment: he finished last in a field of five candidates on the first ballot, and was automatically eliminated.
After his nomination defeat, Hayhurst belatedly decided to seek the Social Credit nomination in Athabaska. He won the nomination, but lost to Liberal Joseph Miville Dechene
in the general election. Hayhurst officially appeared on the ballot as the candidate of the New Democracy
party, an affiliate of Social Credit.
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 died in Toronto, Ontario.
Hayhurst first ran a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1930 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1930
The Canadian federal election of 1930 was held on July 28, 1930 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Canada...
as a 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...
candidate in the Wetaskiwin
Wetaskiwin (electoral district)
Wetaskiwin is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925.-Geography:...
district. He was defeated by Incumbent William Irvine
William Irvine (Canadian politician)
William Irvine was a Canadian politician, journalist and clergyman. He served in the Canadian House of Commons on three different occasions, as a representative of Labour, the United Farmers of Alberta and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
, finishing last in a field of three candidates.
Hayhurst ran again in the 1935 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
, this time under the Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
banner in the Vegreville
Vegreville (electoral district)
Vegreville was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1997.This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Strathcona and Victoria ridings....
district. Hayhurst's nomination as the Social Credit candidate was controversial. At the time, the Vegreville Social Credit organization had a two-stage nomination process: delegates elected three candidates at a nomination meeting, one of whom was later chosen by an advisory board. Paul Lesiuk, a teacher of Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
background, actually received the greatest number of votes, but the board decided to give the nomination to Hayhurst, the second-place candidate. Many Ukrainian members of Social Credit opposed this decision, and refused to support Hayhurst in the general election. He narrowly defeated Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
incumbent Michael Luchkovich
Michael Luchkovich
Michael Luchkovich was a teacher, author and Canadian federal politician...
in a hotly contested five-way race. Social Credit had little presence outside Alberta in this period, and Hayhurst sat as an opposition MP.
Anthony Hlynka
Anthony Hlynka
Anthony Hlynka was a Canadian journalist, publisher, immigration activist and politician. He represented Vegreville in the Canadian House of Commons from 1940 to 1949, as a member of the Social Credit Party of Canada...
, Hayhurst's successor as MP for Vegreville, described him as a "polite, intelligent and well-read" man who "carried out his duties as an MP quite well, but [...] had a difficult time representing a riding in which eighty per cent of the population was of other than British origin". He occasionally made parliamentary statements in support of Ukrainian national aspirations, but had difficulty communicating with his constituents. Many Ukrainian members of the Social Credit party asked him to seek re-election in Athabaska
Athabaska (electoral district)
Athabaska was a federal electoral district Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1968.This riding was created as "Athabaska" in 1924 from parts of Battle River, Edmonton East and Edmonton West ridings...
rather than run again in Vegreville in the 1940 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
. He ignored this advice, and let his name stand at the Vegreville Social Credit nomination meeting in September 1939. The result was an unexpected embarrassment: he finished last in a field of five candidates on the first ballot, and was automatically eliminated.
After his nomination defeat, Hayhurst belatedly decided to seek the Social Credit nomination in Athabaska. He won the nomination, but lost to Liberal Joseph Miville Dechene
Joseph Miville Dechene
Joseph Miville Dechêne was Canadian farmer and politician who served in all three levels of government during his career. He served as a councilor of the town of Bonnyville from 1928 to 1934. He also served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1921 to 1926 and again from 1930 to...
in the general election. Hayhurst officially appeared on the ballot as the candidate of the New Democracy
New Democracy (Canada)
New Democracy was a political party in Canada founded by William Duncan Herridge in 1939. Herridge, a former Conservative party adviser who was Canada's Envoy to the United States from 1931-35 during the government of R. B. Bennett....
party, an affiliate of Social Credit.