Chester Reynolds

{{for|the founder of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum|Chester A. Reynolds}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

| imagesize = 180px|

| name = Chester Reynolds

| caption =

| birth_name = Chester Ambrose Reynolds

| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|9|24}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|5|1|1902|9|24}}

| death_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

| residence =

| office = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

| constituency = Stettler

| term_start = March 21, 1940

| term_end = August 7, 1944

| alongside =

| predecessor = Charles Cockroft

| successor = William S. Mackie

| party = Social Credit Party of Alberta

| relatives = Ryan Reynolds (grandson)

| occupation = Farmer

| spouse = {{marriage |Helen Mary Long|1938}}

| children = 4

}}

Chester Ambrose Reynolds (September 24, 1902 – May 1, 1983) was a Canadian provincial politician from Alberta. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 1944, sitting as a Social Credit member from the constituency of Stettler.{{cite journal |editor1-last=Normandin |editor1-first=A. L. |title=The Canadian Parliamentary Guide |journal=The Canadian Parliamentary Guide = Guide Parlementaire Canadien |date=1944 |publisher=Mortimer Company Ltd. |location=Ottawa |url=https://archive.org/details/canadianparliame1944unse |access-date=August 9, 2020 |issn=0315-6168 |oclc=893686591}}

Early life and education

Reynolds was born September 24, 1902, in Chicago, Illinois to William Francis Reynolds (1863–1949) and Elizabeth Frances Reynolds ({{neé}} Crowe; 1872–1949). The family immigrated to Canada in 1906; he was educated in Gadsby, Alberta.

Reynolds farmed in the Gadsby area until around 1934. He then worked for the Provincial Government, specializing in promoting the welfare of horses. He held this position until he resigned in the spring of 1940 to run for the Stettler riding as the Social Credit candidate.{{Cite news |date=1941-04-05 |title=Reynolds bio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-edmonton-bulletin-reynolds-bio/103980211/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Edmonton Bulletin |pages=13}}

Political career

Reynolds was elected in the 1940 Alberta general election to the 9th Alberta Legislature for the constituency of Stettler as a member of the Social Credit Party. Reynolds received slightly over 50 percent of the vote, defeating his Independent opponent L. V. Lohr by 817 votes, and the Co-operative Commonwealth candidate H. H. Turner by 1,884 votes.{{cite web |title=Election results for Stettler. |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/year_result.php?Constit=Stettler |website=abheritage.ca. |publisher=Heritage Community Foundation |access-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/2217/20101208183724/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/year_result.php?Constit=Stettler |archive-date=December 8, 2010 |location=Wayback Machine}} Reynolds did not contest the 1944 Alberta general election.

Personal life

On June 29, 1938, Reynolds married Helen Long of Lacombe, Alberta.

He was the paternal grandfather of actor Ryan Reynolds.{{cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6624962/ryan-reynolds-grandfather-chester/ |title=Ryan Reynolds thanks Global Edmonton's Gord Steinke for showing him old photo of grandfather |last=Wallis |first=Adam |publisher=Global News |date=March 3, 2020 |access-date=March 3, 2020}}

References

External links

{{AlbertaMLAbio|ID=0290}}

Category:1983 deaths

Category:1902 births

Category:Alberta Social Credit Party MLAs

Category:American emigrants to Canada

Category:Canadian people of Irish descent

Category:People from the County of Stettler No. 6

Category:Politicians from Chicago

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