Thomas George Thurber (born 1934-2000) was a Canadian provincial politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLA) from 1989 to 2000.[1] He served as Alberta's Minister of Public Affairs, Supply and Services from 1993 to 1994 and as Minister of Municipal Affairs from 1994-1997.[1]
Early life and career
Thurber was born in Herronton, Alberta[2] on 26 October 1934.[3] He served in the Korean War[3] and later became a rancher in Winfield, Alberta, near Edmonton.[4][5]
He served as reeve for Wetaskiwin County,[6] member of a school board,[6] member of a hospital board,[6] and chair of the Alberta Cattle Commission[7][5][8] before he ran for election to the Alberta Legislative Assembly in 1989.[6]
Political career
Thurber was first elected to the Alberta Legislature in the 1989 Alberta general election.[6] He won the electoral district of Drayton Valley holding it for the Progressive Conservative Party by a wide margin.[9]
The electorate of Drayton Valley was abolished in 1993 and reconstituted into Drayton Valley-Calmar. Thurber ran for re-election in the 1993 Alberta general election and won the new riding with an increased plurality. He ran for a third term in office in the 1997 Alberta general election winning the biggest margin of his career defeating three other candidates.[10]
Thurber served as Alberta's Minister of Public Affairs, Supply and Services from 1993 to 1994 and as Minister of Municipal Affairs from 1994-1997.[1] In July 1999, he was one of three Alberta MLAs to participate in the Partnership of Parliaments parliamentarian exchange program with Germany.[11]
Thurber retired from public politics at dissolution of the legislature in 2001, saying "I did not want to make this a full-life career".[1]
Death
Thurber died on 7 March 2010 at Rimbey Hospital in Rimbey, Alberta; he was 75.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Tory MLA Tom Thurber Set to Leave Politics". Fort McMurray Today. 19 September 2000. pp. A2. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ "Former MLA dies | Local | News | Drayton Valley Western Review". Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ^ a b c "Obituaries: Thurber, Thomas "Tom" G.". Edmonton Journal. 10 March 2010. pp. B7. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ Cunningham, Jim (25 January 1993). "Rural MLAs Settling in Nicely as Government's Power Brokers". Edmonton Journal. Calgary Herald. p. 7. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ a b "ACC Head Favors Barley Sales Vote". Edmonton Journal. 2 November 1978. pp. H13. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Flegal, Paul (14 March 1989). "Thurber Pledges to Cut Through Bureaucracy". The Representative. Leduc, Alberta, Canada. p. 15. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ Gilmour, Bob (7 December 1978). "ACC's Happy with its Year". Edmonton Journal. pp. H11. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ "Thurber Re-Elected". Edmonton Journal. 8 December 1978. pp. C7. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
Tom Thurber, a cow-calf operator in Winfield, southwest of Edmonton, has been elected to a second one-year term as chairman of the Alberta Cattle Commission (ACC).
- ^ "Drayton Valley Official Results 1989". Alberta Heritage. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Drayton Valley-Calmar Official Results 1997". Alberta Heritage. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "C P A - Alberta Branch 1999 Annual Report". Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
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