Área de título y declaración de responsabilidad
Título apropiado
William Aberhart fonds
Tipo general de material
Título paralelo
Also known as the Aberhart fonds
Otra información de título
Título declaración de responsabilidad
Título notas
- Fuente del tÃtulo: Title based on contents of the fonds.
Nivel de descripción
Fondo
Institución archivística
Código de referencia
Área de edición
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Declaración de responsabilidad de edición
Área de detalles específicos de la clase de material
Mención de la escala (cartográfica)
Mención de proyección (cartográfica)
Mención de coordenadas (cartográfica)
Mención de la escala (arquitectónica)
Jurisdicción de emisión y denominación (filatélico)
Área de fechas de creación
Fecha(s)
Área de descripción física
Descripción física
82 cm of textual records. -- 10 photographs : b&w -- 2 hats
Área de series editoriales
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Otra información de título de las series editoriales
Declaración de responsabilidad relativa a las series editoriales
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Nota en las series editoriales
Área de descripción del archivo
Nombre del productor
Historia biográfica
Nombre del productor
Historia biográfica
William Aberhart was born on a farm near Kippen, Ontario on December 30, 1878 to William Aberhart Senior and Louisa Pepper. He attended Chatham Business College and received teacher training at the Mitchell Model School and the Ontario Normal School in Hamilton, Ontario. He also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario in 1911. He taught in several schools in southern Ontario, becoming principal of the Central Public School in Brantford Ontario, before moving to Calgary in 1910. During his time in Brantford, Aberhart also preached in local churches and conducted Bible study classes. Although he grew up in a nominally Presbyterian household, Aberhart and his wife entered the Baptist faith when residing in Calgary. Between 1910 and 1915, Aberhart was principal of three public schools in Calgary: Alexandra, Mount Royal and King Edward. In 1915, he was appointed principal of Crescent Heights High School, a position that he held for twenty years. While in Calgary, he continued to preach in a number of churches and also held Bible study classes. In 1918 he founded the Calgary Prophetic Bible Conference to promote Bible study in Calgary. His sermons and teachings were so popular that the Palace Theatre had to be rented to accommodate all who wished to participate. In 1925, he started broadcasting Sunday afternoon lectures on the radio called the "Back to the Bible Hour". These biblical lectures drew listeners from across the Canadian prairies and the adjacent U.S. states. In 1927 he was appointed Dean of the newly organized Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute. This institute served as a centre of worship and biblical studies, and also produced Aberhart's radio broadcasts. During this time, he was often known as "Bible Bill," in reference to his religious preaching. Aberhart became interested in politics in the 1930s as a result of the Great Depression. He particularly was interested in the 'social credit' theories of Scottish engineer Major C.H. Douglas which addressed the "discrepancy between the costs of production and the purchasing power of individuals." He founded the Social Credit League and began lobbying the Alberta government, held by the United Farmers of Alberta, to adopt some of the social credit policies. When this attempt failed, Aberhart organized Alberta's Social Credit League and the party won the 1935 Alberta provincial election by a landslide. Aberhart himself had not been a candidate in the election, but because he was the leader of the Social Credit League, he was proclaimed Premier of Alberta. He won a by-election in the electoral district of Okotoks-High River two months after being proclaimed Premier. From 1935-1943, Aberhart held the portfolios of Minister of Education and Attorney General. After the general election of 1940, Aberhart represented the multi-member electoral district of Calgary. During his tenure as Premier, Aberhart and the Social Credit government were successful in legislating its "prosperity certificate" program and also in making changes to Alberta's educational system and labour laws. They also established oil and gas conservation practices and provincial marketing boards. However, the Social Credit policies were not fully realized - attempts to change legislation pertaining to the administration of banks or operation of the newspapers in the province were unsuccessful. Although three bills were passed to amend legislation, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ruled these bills unconstitutional. William Aberhart married Jessie Flatt of Galt, Ontario in 1902 and had two daughters, Ola Janet and Khona Louise. He died suddenly on May 23, 1943 while in Vancouver, British Columbia. A high school in Calgary and a long-term care facility in Edmonton are named in his honour.
Historial de custodia
Alcance y contenido
Fonds consists of records created and collected by William Aberhart over approximately thirty five years. It contains speeches and publications pertaining to his political career and research notes, sermons and other material pertaining to his involvement with the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute, the "Back to the Bible Hour" and other groups as well as correspondence with his niece, Irene (Aberhart) Barrett and other associated material. The fonds is arranged into three series, including (I) Political speeches, 1932-1943, (II) Spiritual works, ca.1902-1943 (predominant ca.1918-1943) and (III) Irene (Aberhart) Barrett series, ca. 1885-1943. The fonds also contains two hats owned by Premier Aberhart -- a top hat worn by Aberhart during the Queen's visit to Edmonton, and a bowler hat.
Área de notas
Condiciones físicas
Records are in good physical condition.
Origen del ingreso
The first accession of records were in the custody of Mrs. Muriel Manning, widow of Ernest C. Manning. Ernest Manning was a good friend and colleague of William Aberhart. The records were transferred to the University of Calgary Archives by Mrs. Manning. The second accession of records were in the custody of Ms. Ann Barrett, daughter of Irene (Aberhart) Barrett and grand-niece of William Aberhart.
Arreglo
As there was little or no original order when the papers arrived, the arranging archivist has imposed order, arrangement and all file titles.
Idioma del material
- The material is in English.
Escritura del material
Ubicación de los originales
Disponibilidad de otros formatos
Restricciones de acceso
There are no restrictions on access.
Condiciones de uso, reproducción, y publicación
Instrumentos de descripción
Materiales asociados
The Provincial Archives of Alberta holds records within government records pertaining to William Aberhart including: Office of the Premier sous-fonds, Executive Council fonds, Justice and Attorney General fonds and Ministry of Education fonds. The Glenbow Archives holds the William Aberhart fonds and the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute fonds.
Acumulaciones
No further accruals are expected.
Nota general
Record No. UARC 2005.075, 2006.010<br><br>
Identificador/es alternativo(os)
Área de número estándar
Número estándar
Puntos de acceso
Puntos de acceso por materia
Puntos de acceso por lugar
Puntos de acceso por autoridad
- Aberhart, William (Materia)
- Barrett, Irene (Eberhart) (Materia)