James Alexander Calder

The Honourable James Alexander Calder PC
President of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan
In office October 20, 1916 – October 20, 1917
Preceded by	Walter Scott
Succeeded by	William Melville Martin
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for South Regina
In office 1905–1908
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Saltcoats
In office 1908–1917
Preceded by	Thomas MacNutt
Succeeded by	George William Sahlmark
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Moose Jaw
In office 1917–1921
Preceded by	William Erskine Knowles
Succeeded by	Robert Milton Johnson
Senator for Saskatchewan (Moose Jaw)
In office September 22, 1921 – July 20, 1956
Appointed by	Arthur Meighen
Personal details
Born	(1868-09-17)September 17, 1868 Oxford County, Ontario
Died	July 20, 1956(1956-07-20) (aged 87)
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Provincial: Liberal Party of Saskatchewan (1905–17) Federal: Unionist (1917–21), Conservative (1921–42), Progressive Conservative (1942–56)
Alma mater	University of Manitoba
Profession	Educator, school principal

James Alexander Calder PC (September 17, 1868 – July 20, 1956) was a Canadian politician.

Born in Oxford County, Ontario, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba in 1888. He was a teacher and principal, before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the riding of South Regina in the 1905 provincial election. A Liberal, he was re-elected in a 1908 by-election and in the 1912 election. From 1905 to 1912, he was the Minister of Education, Provincial Treasurer, and Minister of Railways. The rural village of Calder, SK was named after him when it was incorporated in 1911. From 1916 to 1917, he was the President of the Executive Council, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Highways.

He was elected as a Unionist candidate to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Moose Jaw in the 1917 federal election. He held many ministerial positions including Minister of Immigration and Colonization, Minister of Agriculture (Acting), Minister of Militia and Defence (Acting), President of the Privy Council, and Minister presiding over the Department of Health.

In 1921 James Calder used his position to silence one of the first critics of Residential Schools , Dr P.H. Bryce M.A., M.D., author of Record of the Health Conditions of the Indians of Canada from 1904 to 1921. Dr Bryce had been appalled by the death toll tuberculosis had levelled on the children attending these schools over the previous decades and had advocated intently to improve these conditions and lower a mortality rate exponentially higher than Canadians of European descent. James Calder used his position to force Dr Bryce into an unwanted retirement and was able to silence his advocacy that may have saved innumerable lives.

In 1921, he was called to the Canadian Senate, appointed on the advice of The Rt. Hon. Arthur Meighen, representing the senatorial division of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. A Conservative (and later Progressive Conservative), he died in office in 1956.

Outside politics, Calder was a noted philatelist who signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1947.^[1]

References

Sources

• James Alexander Calder – Parliament of Canada biography
• "Historical Members of the Legislative Assembly" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-28. Retrieved 2006-08-06. (137 KiB)
• "Offices Held by Members of the Executive Council" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2006-08-06. (206 KiB)
• "Saskatchewan Election Results By Electoral Division" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-04-27.

The Story of a National Crime Being a Record of the Health Conditions of the Indians of Canada from 1904 to 1921, by Dr. P. H. Bryce, M.A., M.D. Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Department https://archive.org/details/storyofnationalc00brycuoft/page/n7/mode/2up