Fonds F 116 - J. Walter Erb fonds

Jacob Walter Erb was born on January 16, 1909 near Lang, Saskatchewan to Ferdinand and Rosa (Wagner) Erb. He received his early education at Sunnydale School and later attended Luther College in Regina. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba in 1933, Erb attended the Chicago Conservatory of Music in Illinois on a two-year singing scholarship. After travelling throughout the United States on concert tours, he returned to Regina, where he taught music and served as the Dean of Boys at Luther College. He resigned from Luther College in 1946 to take up farming in the Lang district.

Erb's political career began in 1948, when he was elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature as a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member for the Milestone constituency. He served in the T.C. Douglas and Woodrow Lloyd Governments as Minister of Public Health (1956-1961) and Minister of Public Works (1961-1962). On May 2, 1962, Erb resigned from cabinet and joined the Liberal Party. He sat as a Liberal MLA for Milestone until his defeat in the 1964 general election. Erb then served as chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Board and as president of the Association of Workmen's Compensation Boards of Canada. Erb remained in Regina after his retirement in 1984. He died in Los Angeles, California on January 1, 1990.

Erb married Edna Helsa of Lajord, Saskatchewan on December 14, 1938. The Erbs had two children: Carol Rosanne and Sharon Christine.

Thomas Clement (Tommy) Douglas was born in Falkirk, Scotland on October 20, 1904 to Thomas and Annie (Clement) Douglas. In 1910, he immigrated with his family to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Douglas attended elementary school in Winnipeg and continued his education in Glasgow, Scotland, where he and his family relocated during World War I. Upon moving back to Winnipeg in 1919, Douglas apprenticed in the printing trade and worked as a Linotype operator. In 1924, he enrolled at Brandon College to pursue his ambition to become an ordained minister. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930 and was ordained a Baptist minister in Weyburn. During the summer of 1931, Douglas studied sociology at the University of Chicago but never completed his doctoral thesis. Douglas earned a Master of Arts degree from McMaster University by correspondence in 1933 while serving at Calvary Baptist Church in Weyburn.

Douglas's political career began in the early 1930s, when he helped establish the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). After running unsuccessfully as a Farmer-Labour Party candidate in the 1934 Saskatchewan general election, Douglas was elected to the House of Commons in 1935 and served as the CCF Member for the Weyburn constituency until 1944. In 1941, he was elected president of the Saskatchewan CCF and became the party's leader in 1942. On June 1, 1944, Douglas resigned from the House of Commons to run in the Saskatchewan general election. On June 15, 1944, the CCF was elected into power, becoming the first democratic socialist government in North America. Douglas became the CCF Member for Weyburn, the seventh premier of Saskatchewan and the president of the Executive Council. While premier, Douglas also served as Minister of Public Health (1944-1949) and Minister of Co-operation and Co-operative Development (1949-1960).

Premier Douglas and his government introduced many innovative social and economic reforms. The Crown Corporations Act created numerous publicly-owned agencies, including the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (a provincial bus line), the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (which extended electrical service to isolated rural areas), and the Saskatchewan Government Insurance Office (Canada's first publicly-owned automotive insurance service). During his tenure, The Saskatchewan Bill of Rights was passed and legislation allowing for the unionization of the public service was brought in. A program offering free hospital care to all citizens was also introduced. As well, Douglas's government introduced universal health care legislation in 1961, although the resulting Medicare program was launched by Douglas's successor, Woodrow Lloyd, in 1962.

In November 1961, Douglas resigned from provincial politics to become leader of the newly-created New Democratic Party (NDP), an amalgamation of the CCF and Canadian Labour Congress. Douglas ran in the Regina City riding in the 1962 federal election but was defeated. Later that year, he was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election in the riding of Burnaby-Coquitlam. Douglas remained in that seat until his defeat in the 1968 federal election. He was elected in a 1969 by-election in the riding of Nanaimo-Cowichan-The Islands. In 1971, Douglas resigned as NDP leader but remained in his seat in the House of Commons and served as the NDP energy critic until his retirement from political life in 1979. Douglas died in Ottawa on February 24, 1986.

Douglas received numerous awards and honours, including: the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (1985); a Companion of the Order of Canada (1981); membership in the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (1984); and induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (1998). Douglas also received numerous honorary degrees from Canadian universities. Douglas Provincial Park in Saskatchewan was named in his honor. In 2010, a statue of him was erected in Weyburn.

Douglas married Irma Dempsey in 1930. They had two daughters: Shirley and Joan.

Thomas John Bentley was born on May 3, 1891 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to Wells and Annie (Brown) Bentley. He was educated in Nova Scotia. Bentley worked in logging camps and on railway bridge construction prior to enlisting with the Canadian Army in 1915. He served overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 66th Battalion and received the Distinguished Conduct Medal during his tour of duty.

Bentley returned to Canada in 1919 and farmed in the Preeceville, Saskatchewan district until 1926, when he began work with the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, first as an elevator operator and later as field staff. Bentley resigned from the Pool in 1944 to embark on a career in politics.

Bentley was elected to the House of Commons in 1945 and served as a Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member for the Swift Current constituency until his defeat in 1949. He was elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1949 and served as a CCF member for the Gull Lake (1949-1952) and Shaunavon (1952-1960) constituencies. Bentley served in the T.C. Douglas Government as Minister of Public Health (1949-1956) and Minister of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation (1956-1960). He retired from political life in 1960.

Bentley served two years on a medicare advisory committee headed by Dr. Walter Thompson before retiring to Saskatoon and later Vancouver, British Columbia. He died on June 2, 1983 in Vancouver.

Bentley married Lenora Rachel Chabot on April 1, 1914. They had five children: Ruth, Joseph, Donald, Thomas, and Jack.

William Gwynne (Bill) Davies was born on February 11, 1916 at Indian Head, Saskatchewan to William and Lily (Sheppard) Davies. Around 1923, he moved with his family to Regina, where he attended Wetmore School; Strathcona School; Central Collegiate; and Balfour Collegiate.

Davies' career in the labour movement began in the 1940s, when he helped organize a union at Swifts Canadian slaughterhouse in Moose Jaw for the United Packinghouse Workers of America. Davies was instrumental in the establishment of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) and served as its executive secretary for twenty-five years. Davies also served on the Federal Wartime Labour Relations Board and the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board (1945-1956).

Davies' political career began in 1948, when he was elected to Moose Jaw City Council. He served as an alderman until his election to the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1956. Davies sat as a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) Member for Moose Jaw City (1956-1967) and as a New Democratic Party (NDP) Member for Moose Jaw South (1967-1971). Davies also served in the T.C. Douglas and Woodrow Lloyd Governments as Minister of Public Works (1960-1961, 1962-1964) and Minister of Public Health (1961-1962). Davies retired from political life in 1971 and returned to the SFL until his retirement in 1974. He died in Regina on November 9, 1999.

An advocate for the environment and conservation, Davies was interested in Aboriginal culture and archaeology. He supported the development of provincial and local parks and was active in the Wascana Centre Authority in Regina. An avid reader, Davies was a member of the Saskatchewan Poetry Society; his volume of poetry, "The buffalo stone", was published around 1997. Davies' research and writing on the history of the trade union movement was incorporated into the 2005 publication "On the Side of the People: A History of Labour in Saskatchewan".

Davies was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan (1978) and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada (1975).

Davies married Rose Sapergia of Lillistrom, Saskatchewan on December 4, 1937. They had four children: Timothy, Barbara, Jonathan and April. Davies married his second wife, Theresa, in 1972.