Charles Edward Johnston

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

| imagesize = |

| name = Charles Edward Johnston

| caption =

| birth_date = February 12, 1899

| birth_place = Bay Mills, Michigan, United States

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1971|12|1|1899|2|12}}

| death_place=Houston, Texas, United States

| residence =

| office = Member of Parliament

| constituency = Bow River

| term_start = 1935

| term_end = 1958

| predecessor = Edward Joseph Garland

| successor = Eldon Woolliams

| office2 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

| constituency2 = Calgary Bowness

| term_start2 = 1959

| term_end2 = 1967

| predecessor2 = New District

| successor2 = Len Werry

| party = Social Credit

| religion =

| occupation =

}}

Charles Edward Johnston (February 12, 1899 – December 1, 1971) was a teacher and a long serving Canadian politician. He served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada for the opposition federal Social Credit party from 1935 to 1958. He moved to provincial politics and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1959 to 1967 for the governing Alberta Social Credit party.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObvRAwAAQBAJ&q=Charles+Edward+Johnston+1971&pg=PA72|title=What's in a Name?|isbn=9781897472583|last1=Mardon|first1=Austin|year=2012|publisher=Lulu.com }}

Political career

=Federal career=

Johnston first ran for the House of Commons of Canada as a Social Credit candidate in the 1935 Canadian federal election. He defeated incumbent Member of Parliament Edward Joseph Garland to win his first term in office.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=October 14, 1935|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=6259|accessdate=November 24, 2009}} Johnston ran for re-election in the 1940 Canadian federal election. The election was hotly contested, he defeated four other candidates including former Alberta provincial Member of the Legislative Assembly Aylmer Liesemer.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=March 26, 1940|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=6456|accessdate=November 24, 2009}}

Johnston would increase his margin of victory winning his third term in office defeating four other candidates in the 1945 Canadian federal election.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=June 11, 1945|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=6648|accessdate=November 24, 2009}} The 1949 Canadian federal election would bring Johnston his largest vote total as he defeated five other candidates to win his fourth consecutive term in office.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=June 27, 1949|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=6841|accessdate=November 24, 2009}} He would be re-elected to a fifth term in office with another comfortable plurality in the 1953 Canadian federal election.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=August 10, 1953|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=7047|accessdate=November 24, 2009}} Johnston would suffer near defeat in the 1957 Canadian federal election winning by just 300 votes over Progressive Conservative candidate Eldon Woolliams.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=June 10, 1957|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=7229|accessdate=November 24, 2009}} Parliament would be dissolved a year later, and this time Johnston would be defeated in a landslide, after facing Woolliams once again in the 1958 Canadian federal election.{{cite web|title=Bow River election results|date=March 31, 1958|publisher=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Cresdetail&Election=7402|accessdate=November 24, 2009}}

=Provincial career=

After being defeated from federal politics he would run for a seat to the Alberta Legislature as the governing Alberta Social Credit candidate in the new provincial electoral district of Calgary Bowness. He would win his first term in office with a landslide taking almost 60% of the popular vote.{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1959&Constit=Calgary-Bowness| title=Calgary Bowness results 1959 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | accessdate=November 24, 2009}} He was re-elected to a second term in office in the 1963 Alberta general election. His popular vote would decline but he still won his district with more than 50%.{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1963&Constit=Calgary-Bowness| title=Calgary Bowness results 1963 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | accessdate=November 24, 2009}} Johnston ran for a third term in office in the 1967 general election. He was defeated in a closely contested race by Progressive Conservative candidate Len Werry.{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1967&Constit=Calgary-Bowness| title=Calgary Bowness results 1967 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | accessdate=November 24, 2009}}

Johnston died on December 1, 1971.

References

External links

{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=2834}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20101026192825/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/legislaturecentennial/pdf/membersBooklet.pdf Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing]

Category:1899 births

Category:1971 deaths

Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta

Category:Social Credit Party of Canada MPs

Category:Alberta Social Credit Party MLAs

Category:People from Chippewa County, Michigan

Category:American emigrants to Canada

Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta