John Bracken
Canadian politician
Died when: 85 years 269 days (1028 months)Star Sign: Cancer
John Bracken PC (June 22, 1883 – March 18, 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–1948).
Bracken was born in Ontario, and was a professor of animal husbandry at the University of Saskatchewan before moving to Manitoba in 1920.
A political outsider, he was named leader of the Progressive Party of Manitoba following its upset victory in the 1922 Manitoba general election.
During his tenure as premier of Manitoba, he implemented independent, non-partisan policies dominated by rural interests and opposed organized labour.
He oversaw the creation of a universal pension, the provincial income tax, and reductions in spending on health, education and welfare as well as the replacement of the first past the post voting system with alternative voting.
He pursued development by promoting staple industries such as mining, timber and fishing.After leading the Progressive Party to a second consecutive majority in the 1927 election, he merged the Progressive Party with the Liberal Party of Manitoba, to form the Liberal-Progressive Party in 1932.
He continued his premiership by leading the Liberal-Progressive Party to more consecutive victories in subsequent elections in 1932, 1936 and 1941.He won majority governments in all but the 1936 election.
In 1942, he agreed to run for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party of Canada at the condition that the party be renamed the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.
After being elected leader of the newly renamed party, he resigned as premier of Manitoba and led the PCs to a second-place finish during the 1945 Canadian federal election against the incumbent Liberal Party government led by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.
He resigned as leader of the party in 1948 and was succeeded by George A.Drew.After being defeated while running for reelection to the House of Commons in the 1949 federal election, he retired from politics and died in 1969.
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