After being forced out of Government House almost 40 years earlier in a historic Alberta controversy, former lieutenant-governor John C. Bowen finally took his place in the legislative building.
A portrait of Alberta’s longest-serving lieutenant-governor — and in the eyes of the Social Credit government back in 1937 the most unpopular — was unveiled in the legislative building rotunda alongside the gallery of portraits of other top Alberta dignitaries, the Journal reported.
House Speaker Gerry Amerongen said the unveiling was “remedying an omission” — making up for the years in which Bowen’s portrait was noticeably absent.
“The move was part of the Conservative government’s plan to update and complete its collection of portraits of lieutenant-governors, premiers and other officials. But the unveiling by granddaughter Mrs. Leeson MacKenzie clearly invoked memories of a constitutional fight in 1937 as vigorous as any confrontation of the 1970s,” the story said.
Bowen had been in office less than a year when Social Credit premier William Aberhart pushed three pieces of legislation, designed to implement monetary change, through the legislature.
One would control bank operations in the province, another would tax banks, and a third law would control the press.
“Apparently, because the constitutionality was seriously in question, Bowen used his seldom exercised powers to withhold royal assent of the Social Credit reform laws and sent them off to the federal government for a ruling. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Canada declared the laws were beyond Alberta’s power to be enacted.”
One of the immediate paybacks was that the legislature chopped the lieutenant-governor’s expense budget, ultimately forcing him out of Government House when the electricity was cut off.
It was the last time Government House was the lieutenant-governor’s residence. In the mid-1980s a house was purchased, which serves as the home of the Queen’s representative in Alberta.
“Despite this incident, Bowen, who earlier was a Liberal member of the legislature and a member of Edmonton city council, served as the province’s viceregal representative until 1950. He died in 1957.
The portrait was painted by Calgary artist Illingworth Kerr, who also painted the official portraits of former lieutenant-governor Grant MacEwan, and former premier Harry Strom.
To read more stories from the series This Day in Journal History, go to edmontonjournal.com/history
