Olds (provincial electoral district)

Olds

Alberta electoral district
Defunct provincial electoral district
Legislature	Legislative Assembly of Alberta
District created	1909
District abolished	1963
First contested	1909
Last contested	1959

Olds was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1963.^[1]

The district was combined with the Didsbury electoral district to form Olds-Didsbury. The district was named after the Town of Olds, Alberta.

Olds history

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Olds[2]
Assembly	Years	Member		Party
See Rosebud electoral districts from 1905-1909
2nd	1909–1913		Duncan Marshall	Liberal
3rd	1913–1917
4th	1917–1921
5th	1921–1926		Nelson Smith	United Farmers
6th	1926–1930
7th	1930–1935		Frank Grisdale
8th	1935–1940		Herbert Ash	Social Credit
	1940-1940			Independent Social Credit
9th	1940–1944		Norman Cook	Social Credit
10th	1944–1948
11th	1948–1950
	1950–1952		Frederick Niddrie
12th	1952–1955
13th	1955–1958
	1959-1959		Roderick Macleod
14th	1959–1963
See Olds-Didsbury electoral district from 1963-1997

The electoral district of Olds was created and first contested for the 1909 Alberta general election. The electoral district included much of the area of the Rosebud electoral district contested in the 1905 election. The first election was won by Liberal candidate Duncan Marshall, who would roll up a large majority in his first win. Marshall was appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Agriculture and Provincial Secretary shortly after the election.

Marshall was confirmed in a Ministerial by-election romping to an easy win over Socialist Candidate Samuel Welsh later that year.^[3][4] He lost his portfolios as the Alexander Rutherford government fell in 1910 due to the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway scandal. Premier Sifton later re-appointed him to that post.

Marshall nearly lost his seat in the 1913 general election and won by a bigger majority in 1917. He was defeated by Nelson Smith a candidate for the United Farmers of Alberta in a hotly contested race in the 1921 general election, that saw the United Farmers form their first majority government.

Spencer was re-elected to his second term in 1926 and retired from the legislature in 1930. He was replaced by Frank Grisdale, who held the seat for the United Farmers. Grisdale was appointed Minister of Agriculture in 1934 and served in portfolio for one year. Social Credit swept to power in the 1935 general election, Grisdale would be easily defeated by Social Credit candidate Herbert Ash.

Ash would serve a single term in office. He was removed from caucus by the Aberhart controlled Social Credit Advisory Board that nominated candidates and not allowed to run under the Social Credit banner for the 1944 Alberta general election.^[5] He became an Independent Social Credit candidate and ran anyway. The 1944 general election would see Ash and Grisdale both run as Independents. They were defeated by Social Credit candidate Norman Cook.

Cook held the district for three terms before dying in 1950. Social Credit would field candidate Frederick Niddrie who retained the seat for the party. He was re-elected in the 1952 and 1955 general elections before dying and vacating the seat in 1959. In the third by-election held in the riding Social Credit fielded Roderick Macleod who retained the district for his party.^[6] He would be re-elected for the second time in a year in the 1959 Alberta general election and kept his seat until the district was abolished in 1963.

Election results

1909

v t e 1909 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan Marshall	760	64.63%	–
	Conservative	George McDonald	416	35.37%	–
Total			1,176	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			1,668	70.50%	–
	Liberal pickup new district.
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1909 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1909 by-election

v t e Alberta provincial by-election, November 23, 1909 Upon Duncan Marshall's appointment as Minister of Agriculture
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan Marshall	733	86.75%	22.12%
	Socialist	Samuel W. Welch	112	13.25%	–
Total			845	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			1,668	50.96	–
	Liberal hold		Swing		22.12%
Source(s) "By-elections". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 26, 2020.

Duncan Marshall having just been elected to the Legislature was appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Agriculture and Provincial Secretary by Premier Alexander Rutherford. Under election laws in force at the time, a ministerial confirmation by-election had to be called. Marshall was the only new appointment to the Rutherford cabinet after the 1909 general election.

Marshall was unanimously confirmed as the Liberal candidate for the by-election and his portfolio endorsed by the membership at a nomination meeting attended by over 100 delegates on November 3, 1909. Speakers at the meeting included federal MP Michael Clark and Senator Peter Talbot.^[7]

The Conservatives decided not to oppose Duncan Marshall, but the Socialist Party led by Charles O'Brien, who had just won their first seat in the 1909 general election decided to run a candidate in Olds to oppose Marshall. O'Brien personally managed and ran the campaign of candidate Samuel Welsh.^[8]

The Socialists campaigned primarily a platform of nationalizing all farms to be controlled by the state. They also promoted abolishing wages and private property. The Socialists termed their campaign and supporters as "The Red Revolutionaries".^[9]

On election day, the riding saw a significant reduction in voter turnout with a light vote being polled compared to the 1909 general election. Marshall was re-elected with a landslide super majority taking almost 87% of the vote to keep his seat and ministerial post.^[3]

1913

v t e 1913 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan Marshall	709	51.94%	-12.68%
	Conservative	George H. Cloakey	656	48.06%	12.68%
Total			1,365	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			N/A	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing		-8.28%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1913 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. 1,695 eligible electors however 2 pollings districts were not counted.

1917

v t e 1917 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan Marshall	1,283	56.35%	4.40%
	Conservative	George H. Cloakey	994	43.65%	-4.40%
Total			2,277	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			N/A	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing		4.40%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1917 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020. There were 2,667 eligible electors, however 6 polling districts were not counted.

1921

v t e 1921 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Farmers	Nelson S. Smith	1,896	60.50%	–
	Liberal	Duncan Marshall	1,238	39.50%	-16.84%
Total			3,134	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			N/A	N/A	N/A
	United Farmers gain from Liberal		Swing		4.15%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1921 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1926

v t e 1926 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Farmers	Nelson S. Smith	1,613	59.96%	-0.53%
	Liberal	Norman E. Cook	708	26.32%	-13.18%
	Conservative	L. H. Walkey	369	13.72%	–
Total			2,690	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			152	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			4,044	70.28%	N/A
	United Farmers hold		Swing		6.32%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1926 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1930

v t e 1930 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Farmers	Frank S. Grisdale	1,790	53.16%	-6.80%
	Liberal	George Clark	1,577	46.84%	20.52%
Total			3,367	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			106	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			4,678	74.24%	3.96%
	United Farmers hold		Swing		-13.66%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1930 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1935

v t e 1935 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Herbert J. Ash	3,538	66.08%	–
	Liberal	A. H. Mann	955	17.84%	-29.00%
	United Farmers	Frank S. Grisdale	694	12.96%	-40.20%
	Conservative	Wm. H. A. Thomas	167	3.12%	–
Total			5,354	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			138	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			5,993	91.64%	17.40%
	Social Credit gain from United Farmers		Swing		20.96%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1940

v t e 1940 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
First count
	Social Credit	Norman E. Cook	2,345	45.43%	-18.65%
	Independent	Frank S. Grisdale	2,455	47.56%	–
	Independent Social Credit	Herbert J. Ash	362	7.01%	–
Total			5,162	–	–
Ballot transfer results
	Independent	Frank S. Grisdale	2,549	50.66%	–
	Social Credit	Norman E. Cook	2,483	40.34%	–
Total			5,032	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			186	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			7,002	76.38%	-15.26%
	Social Credit hold		Swing		N/A
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1940 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1944

v t e 1944 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Norman E. Cook	3,196	66.53%	21.10%
	Independent	Mrs. Ruple Ferguson	832	17.32%	–
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Grand P. Field	776	16.15%	–
Total			4,804	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			51	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			5,377	90.29%	13.91%
	Social Credit hold		Swing		24.82%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1948

v t e 1948 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Norman E. Cook	3,260	74.53%	8.00%
	Liberal	Robert A. Brownell	690	15.78%	–
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Charles A. Coutts	424	9.69%	-6.46%
Total			4,374	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			421	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			7,175	66.83%	-23.46%
	Social Credit hold		Swing		4.77%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1950 by-election

v t e Alberta provincial by-election, November 16, 1950 following the death of Norman E. Cook on August 5, 1950
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Frederick J. Niddrie	2,132	59.19%	-16.34%
	Liberal	M. Winther	1,470	40.81%	25.03%
Total			3,602	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			7,175	50.20%	-16.63
	Social Credit hold		Swing		-20.69%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official By-election Results". Elections Alberta. November 16, 1950. Retrieved March 19, 2010.

1952

v t e 1952 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Frederick J. Niddrie	3,064	65.54%	-8.99%
	Liberal	Edward G. Miller	1,611	34.46%	18.68%
Total			4,675	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			195	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			7,316	66.57%	-0.26%
	Social Credit hold		Swing		-13.84%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1955

v t e 1955 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Frederick J. Niddrie	3,161	58.55%	-6.99%
	Liberal	A. Boyce	2,238	41.45%	6.99%
Total			5,399	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			211	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			7,515	74.65%	8.08%
	Social Credit hold		Swing		-6.99%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1959 by-election

v t e Alberta provincial by-election, February 9, 1959 following the death of Frederick J. Niddrie on December 19, 1958
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Roderick Angus Macleod	3,183	67.35%	8.80%
	Liberal	W. Anderson	1,543	32.65%	-8.80%
Total			4,726	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			N/A	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			7,515	62.89%	–
	Social Credit hold		Swing		8.80%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official By-election Results". Elections Alberta. February 9, 1959. Retrieved March 19, 2010.

1959

v t e 1959 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Social Credit	Roderick Angus Macleod	3,424	66.46%	7.91%
	Progressive Conservative	Bruce Hanson	1,728	33.54%	–
Total			5,152	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			13	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			6,939	74.43%	-0.22%
	Social Credit hold		Swing		7.91%
Source(s) Source: "Olds Official Results 1959 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Plebiscite results

1957 liquor plebiscite

1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Olds[10]
Question A: Do you approve additional types of outlets for the sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote?
Ballot choice		Votes	%
	No	3,044	61.76%
	Yes	1,164	38.24%
Total votes		3,044	100%
Rejected, spoiled and declined		32
7,332 eligible electors, turnout 41.95%

On October 30, 1957 a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the Legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.^[11]

The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton asked if men and woman were allowed to drink together in establishments.^[10]

Province wide Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts while Question B passed in all five districts. Olds voted against the proposal by a wide margin. The voter turnout in the district was well below the province wide average of 46%.^[10]

Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957.^[10] The Social Credit government in power at the time did not considered the results binding.^[12] However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.^[13]

Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the Plebiscite such as Olds were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones, business owners that wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.^[14]

Historical boundaries and maps

Olds 1909 boundaries[15]
Bordering districts
North	East	West	South
Innisfail	Stettler	None	Cochrane, Didsbury, Rocky Mountain
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 1909, An Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
riding map goes here		map in relation to other districts in rural Alberta goes here
Olds.—Commencing at the intersection of the Red Deer River with the northerly limit of township 34, range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence west along the northerly limit of the 34th townships to the western boundary of the Province of Alberta; thence in a southerly direction along the said west boundary of the Province of Alberta to the northerly boundary of the 31st township; thence east along the northerly boundary of the said 31st townships to the intersection with the Red Deer River in the 6th range, west of the 5th meridian; thence following the Red Deer River down stream to the north boundary of township 32, range 5, west of the 5th meridian; thence east along the north boundary of the 32nd townships to the north-east corner of township 32, range 3m west of the 5th meridian; thence south along the east boundary of township 32, range 3, west of the 5th meridian to the north-east corner of township 31, range 3, west of the 5th meridian; thence east along the north boundary of the 31st townships to the Red Deer River in the 21st range, west of the 4th meridian; thence northerly up stream along the said Red Deer River to the point of commencement.
Note: Boundaries came into force in 1909.

Olds 1913 boundaries[16]
Bordering districts
North	East	West	South
Innisfail	Hand Hills, Stettler	Edson, Rocky Mountain	Cochrane, Didsbury,
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 1913, An Act to Amend the Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
riding map goes here		map in relation to other districts in rural Alberta goes here
Olds.—Commencing at the intersection of the Red Deer River with the north limit of township 34, range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence west along the north boundary of the 34th townships to the north-east corner of township 34, range 8 west of the 5th meridian; thence south along the meridian line between ranges 7 and 8, west of the 5th meridian to the north-east corner of township 31, range 8, west of the 5th meridian; thence east along the north boundary of the 31st townships to the intersection with the Red Deer River in range 6, west of the 5th meridian; thence following the Red Deer River downstream to the north boundary of township 32, range 5, west of the 5th meridian; thence east along the north boundary of the 32nd townships to the north-east corner of township 32, range 3, west of the 5th meridian; thence south along the east boundary of township 32, range 3, west of the 5th meridian to the north-east corner of township 31, range 3, west of the 5th meridian; thence east along the north boundary of the 31st townships to the Red Deer River in range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence north up stream along said Red Deer River to the point of commencement.
Note: Boundaries came into force in 1913 and remained unchanged until 1930.

Olds 1930 boundaries[17]
Bordering districts
North	East	West	South
Innisfail	Hand Hills, Stettler	Edson, Rocky Mountain	Cochrane, Didsbury,
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 1930, An Act to Amend the Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
riding map goes here		map in relation to other districts in rural Alberta goes here
Olds.—Commencing at the intersection of the Red Deer River with the north boundary of township 34, in range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence west along the said north boundary of township 34, in range 31, west of the 4th meridian, to the meridian line between ranges 7 and 8, west of the 5th meridian to the north boundary of township 31; thence east along the said north boundary of townships 31 to the intersection with the Red Deer River in range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence northerly up stream along the said Red Deer River to the point of commencement.
Note: Boundaries came into force in 1930.

Olds 1939 boundaries[18]
Bordering districts
North	East	West	South
Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House	Hand Hills, Stettler	Banff-Cochrane, Rocky Mountain House	Didsbury,
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 1939, An Act to Amend The Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
riding map goes here		map in relation to other districts in rural Alberta goes here
"Electoral Division of Olds, the boundary whereof is as follows: Commencing at the north-east corner of township 34, range 9, west of the 5th meridian; thence east along the north boundary of township 34, ranges 8 to 1 inclusive, west of the 5th meridian and ranges 29 to 21 inclusive, west of the 4th meridian to the intersection with Red Deer River; thence in a generally southerly direction downstream along the Red Deer River to the intersection with the north boundary of township 31, range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence west along the north boundary of township 31, ranges 21 to 29, west of the 4th meridian and ranges 1 to 8, inclusive, west of the 5th meridian to the north-east corner of township 31, range 9, west of the 5th meridian; thence north along the meridian between ranges 8 and 9, west of the 5th meridian, to the point of commencement.
Note: Boundaries came into force in 1940.

Olds 1950 boundaries[19]
Bordering districts
North	East	West	South
Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House	Hand Hills, Stettler	Rocky Mountain House	Didsbury, Drumheller
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 1950, An Act to amend The Legislative Assembly Act.
riding map goes here		map in relation to other districts in rural Alberta goes here
"Electoral Division of Olds, the boundary whereof is as follows: Commencing at the north-east corner of township 34, range 9, west of the 5th meridian; thence southerly along the meridian between ranges 8 and 9 to the north-east corner of township 31, range 9, west of the 5th meridian; thence easterly along the north boundary of township 31, ranges 8 to 1 inclusive, west of the 5th meridian to an intersection with the left bank of the Red Deer River; thence in a generally northerly direction along the said left bank to its intersection with the north boundary of township 34, range 21, west of the 4th meridian; thence westerly along the north boundary of township 34, ranges 21 to 29 inclusive, west of the 4th meridian and ranges 1 to 8 inclusive, west of the 5th meridian to the point of commencement.
Note: Boundaries came into force in 1952.

Olds 1955 boundaries[20]
Bordering districts
North	East	West	South
Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House	Hand Hills, Stettler	Rocky Mountain House	Didsbury, Drumheller
Legal description from the Statutes of Alberta 1955, An Act to amend The Legislative Assembly Act.
riding map goes here		map in relation to other districts in rural Alberta goes here
Note: Boundaries description remained unchanged from 1950.

See also

• List of Alberta provincial electoral districts
• Olds, Alberta, a town in central Alberta

References

1. "Election results for Olds". abheritage.ca. Wayback Machine: Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
2. "Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 1905-2006" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
3. "D. Marshal Swamped Welsh". 292. The Lethbridge Daily Herald. November 24, 1909. p. 1.
4. "By-elections". Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
5. "S.C. Row in Olds riding". Vol XXXIII No. 76. The Lethbridge Daily Herald. March 9, 1940. pp. 1, 3.
6. "Olds results 1909 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
7. "The Liberal Convention". Vol. VIII No. 45. The Olds Gazette. November 5, 1909. p. 1.
8. "Some Questions for O'Brien's Brand of Socialism to Answer". Vol VIII No. 47. The Olds Gazette. November 19, 1909. p. 1.
9. R.F. Page (November 19, 1909). "Berrydale Socialist Meeting". Vol VIII No. 47. The Olds Gazette. p. 1.
10. Alberta Gazette. Vol. 53 (December 31 ed.). Government of Alberta. 1957. pp. 2, 247–2, 249.
11. "Albertans Vote 2 to 1 For More Liquor Outlets". Vol L No 273. The Lethbridge Herald. October 31, 1957. pp. 1–2.
12. "No Sudden Change In Alberta Drinking Habits Is Seen". Vol L No 267. The Lethbridge Herald. October 24, 1957. p. 1.
13. "Entirely New Act On Liquor". Vol LI No 72. The Lethbridge Herald. March 5, 1968. p. 1.
14. "Bill 81". Alberta Bills 12th Legislature 1st Session. Government of Alberta. 1958. p. 40.
15. "2". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 1909. pp. 29–30.
16. "2". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 1913. p. 25.
17. "14". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 1930. pp. 88–89.
18. "94". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 1939. p. 432.
19. "36". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 1950. p. 211.
20. "62". Statutes of the Province of Alberta. Government of Alberta. 1955. p. 380.

Further reading

• Office of the Chief Electoral Officer; Legislative Assembly Office (2006). A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. The Centennial Series. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ISBN 0-9689217-8-7. Retrieved May 25, 2020.

External links

• Elections Alberta
• The Legislative Assembly of Alberta

51.79278°N 114.10667°W / 51.79278; -114.10667