Grant Notley
Grant Notley | |
|---|---|
 Notley in 1982 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in Alberta | |
| In office November 2, 1982 – October 19, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Raymond Speaker |
| Succeeded by | Ray Martin |
| Leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party | |
| In office November 10, 1968 – October 19, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Neil Reimer |
| Succeeded by | Ray Martin |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Spirit River-Fairview | |
| In office August 30, 1971 – October 19, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Jim Gurnett (1985) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Grant Notley January 19, 1939 Didsbury, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | October 19, 1984 (aged 45) near High Prairie, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Children | Rachel, Paul and Stephen |
| Occupation | Politician |
Walter Grant Notley (January 19, 1939 – October 19, 1984) was a Canadian politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1984 and also served as leader of the Alberta NDP from 1968 to 1984.
Early life
[edit]Notley was born in Didsbury, Alberta, the son of Frances (Grant) and James Walter Notley, who were farmers.[1] He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1960 with a history degree. After having been involved with the Alberta New Democratic Party in campus politics, he became the party's provincial secretary in 1962.
Political career
[edit]Notley ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the 1963 Alberta general election as a candidate for the Alberta NDP. He was defeated, finishing last in the four-way race losing to incumbent Edgar Gerhart.[2]
He also ran in the 1967 provincial election, and in a 1969 by-election.[3]
Notley was elected leader of the Alberta NDP in 1968.[4]
Notley ran in the 1971 provincial election, he won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the electoral district of Spirit River-Fairview defeating incumbent Adolph Fimrite.[5] He served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Spirit River-Fairview, and was, for eleven years, the sole NDP MLA in the provincial legislature.
In the 1982 provincial election, he was joined by a second NDP MLA, Ray Martin, and the NDP was named the Official Opposition.[3]
Death
[edit]On October 19, 1984, Notley and five other passengers were killed near Slave Lake in northern Alberta when Wapiti Aviation Flight 402 crashed into a snow-covered, wooded hillside.[6] Four people survived the crash, including then Minister of Housing, Larry Shaben.
A year after Notley's death, his party achieved a breakthrough. In the 1986 provincial election, the NDP, for the first time, won 16 seats and 29 percent of the vote.
Personal life
[edit]Notley's daughter, Rachel Notley, served as MLA (NDP) for the provincial riding of Edmonton Strathcona, from the 2008 provincial election to 2024. She became leader of the party on October 18, 2014,[7] as her father had before her, and she served as premier of Alberta, from May 24, 2015, to April 30, 2019. She stepped down as Leader of NDP in January 2024.[8]
One of his two sons, Stephen Notley, writes the popular newspaper and web comic strip Bob the Angry Flower.[9] His other son is Paul Notley.
Legacy
[edit]In 2010 the Peace River farm district Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley was renamed Central Peace-Notley.[citation needed] Notley had represented the area as MLA from 1971 to his death in 1984.[3]
A statue was erected in his honour in Edmonton's Grant Notley Park near Lemarchand Mansion, 100th Avenue and 116 Street.[citation needed]
Socialism and Democracy: Essays in Honour of Grant Notley was published after his death.[10]
The biography Grant Notley The Social Conscience of Alberta by Howard A. Leeson was published by UofA Press in 1992, reprinted 2015.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "HeRMIS - PAA". Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ^ "Edmonton North West Official Results 1963 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c "About Grant Notley". ualberta.ca.
- ^ "Former leader's daughter wins NDP nomination". CBC News. October 5, 2006.
- ^ "Spirit River-Fairview results 1971". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ Nelson, Chris (May 7, 2015). "The sad forgotten hero of Grant Notley aircraft tragedy". National Post. Postmedia News. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Rachel Notley is the new leader of the Alberta NDP". CBC News. October 18, 2018.
- ^ "Rachel Notley to step down as Alberta NDP leader". CBC News. January 16, 2024.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Bob the Angry Flower reflects on 20 years". GigCity, September 1, 2012.
- ^ Notley, Grant (1986). Essays in Honour of Grant Notley - Socialism and Democracy in Alberta. NeWest Press. ISBN 9780920897027.
- ^ Leeson, Howard (1992). Grant Notley - The Social Conscience of Alberta, Second Edition (2nd ed.). University of Alberta Press (published October 28, 2015). ISBN 9781772121254.
Further reading
[edit]- Leeson, Howard (2015). Grant Notley: The Social Conscience of Alberta. University of Alberta Press. ISBN 978-1-77212-125-4.
- Pratt, Larry, ed. (1986). Socialism and Democracy in Alberta: Essays in Honour of Grant Notley. Edmonton: NeWest Press. ISBN 9780920897027.
- Shaben, Carol (2013). Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Commuter Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop. Vintage Canada. ISBN 978-0-307-36023-6.
External links
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