13th Alberta Legislature

The 13th Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from August 17, 1955, to May 9, 1959, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1955 Alberta general election held on June 29, 1955. The Legislature officially resumed on August 17, 1955, and continued until the fifth session was prorogued on April 7, 1959, and dissolved on May 9, 1959, prior to the 1959 Alberta general election.^[1]

13th Alberta Legislature
Majority parliament
17 August 1955 – 9 May 1959
Parliament leaders
Premier	Ernest Charles Manning May 31, 1943 – December 12, 1968
Cabinet	Manning cabinet
Leader of the Opposition	James Harper Prowse February 21, 1952 – April 15, 1958
	Grant MacEwan February 5, 1959 – April 17, 1959
Party caucuses
Government	Social Credit Party
Opposition	Alberta Liberal Party
Crossbench	Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
	Cooperative Commonwealth
Legislative Assembly
Speaker of the Assembly	Peter Dawson February 25, 1937 – March 24, 1963
Members	61 MLA seats
Sovereign
Monarch	Elizabeth II February 6, 1952 – September 8, 2022
Lieutenant Governor	Hon. John James Bowlen February 1, 1950 – December 16, 1959
Sessions
1st session August 17, 1955 – August 25, 1955
2nd session February 9, 1956 – March 29, 1956
3rd session February 14, 1957 – April 11, 1957
4th session February 28, 1958 – April 14, 1958
5th session February 5, 1959 – April 7, 1959
← 12th → 14th

Alberta's thirteenth government was controlled by the majority Social Credit Party for the sixth time, led by Premier Ernest Manning who would go on to be the longest serving Premier in Alberta history. The Official Opposition was led by James Harper Prowse a member of the Alberta Liberal Party until the fifth session when Grant MacEwan became the leader of the Official Opposition. The Speaker was Peter Dawson who would serve until his death during the 15th legislature on March 24, 1963.

Standings changes since the 13th general election

Affiliation		Members
	Social Credit	37
	Liberal	15
	Progressive Conservative	3
	Co-operative Commonwealth	2
	Liberal + Progressive Conservative1	1
	Coalition	1
	Independent Social Credit	1
Total		61

1. The candidate in Okotoks-High River was jointly nominated by the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties.

Membership changes in the 13th Assembly
	Date	Name	District	Party	Reason
	June 29, 1955	See List of Members			Election day of the 13th Alberta general election
	June 3, 1956	John Clark	Stettler	Social Credit	Committed suicide after murdering seven people[2]
	November 15, 1956	Galen Norris	Stettler	Social Credit	Elected in a by-election
	1957	Arthur Smith	Calgary	Progressive Conservative	Vacated his seat to run in the 1957 federal election.
	October 2, 1957	Ernest Watkins	Calgary	Progressive Conservative	Elected in a by-election
	December 19, 1958	Frederick Niddrie	Olds	Social Credit	Died
	February 9, 1959	Roderick Macleod	Olds	Social Credit	Elected in a by-election

References

1. Perry, Sandra E.; Footz, Valerie L. (2006). Massolin, Philip A. (ed.). A Higher Duty: Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. p. 498. ISBN 0-9689217-3-6. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
2. Colin MacDonald (June 5, 1956). "Body Alberta MLA Found Lying In Slough". Vol XLIX No 148. The Lethbridge Herald. p. 1.

Further reading

• Normandin, G. Pierre, ed. (1959). "The Canadian Parliamentary Guide". The Canadian Parliamentary Guide = Guide Parlementaire Canadien. Ottawa: Mortimer Company Ltd. ISSN 0315-6168. OCLC 893686591. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
• Office of the Chief Electoral Officer; Legislative Assembly Office (2006). A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. The Centennial Series. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ISBN 0-9689217-8-7. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
• Perry, Sandra E.; Footz, Valerie L. (2006). Massolin, Philip A. (ed.). A Higher Duty: Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ISBN 0-9689217-3-6. Retrieved August 9, 2020.

External links

• Alberta Legislative Assembly
• Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Book
• By-elections 1905 to present