Joey Smallwood

Joseph " Joey " Roberts Smallwood, PC, CC ( born December 24, 1900 in Gambo, Newfoundland; † 18 December 1991 in St. John's) was a Canadian politician, journalist, author, encyclopedist and trade unionists. He was the driving force by accession of Newfoundland, Canada, which was completed March 31, 1949, and is for this reason as one of the Fathers of Confederation. A day later, he was appointed the first prime minister of the new province, and held this office until 18 January 1972. During this period he was also Chairman of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Professional and entry into politics

Smallwood was born in Gambo, a village on the east coast of Newfoundland. When he was five months old, his family moved to the city of St. John's. The family lived in poverty, so that Smallwood had to quit school at the age of 15 years and an apprenticeship as a printer at the newspaper St. John's began Plain Dealer. In addition, he gained his first experience as a journalist. In 1920 he moved to New York, where he worked for the socialist newspaper The Call. There he met Clara Oates, whom he married in 1925. In the same year he returned to Newfoundland and founded the short-lived journal Labour Outlook. He also worked for the Daily Globe newspaper that her appearance had to stop because of insolvency. After a trip to England, Smallwood settled in Corner Brook on the west coast of the island and founded a newspaper again.

For several years, Smallwood had been active as a trade unionist. However, his political views had become more and more shifted to the center, so that he eventually joined the Liberal Party. In the elections in 1928, he wanted to run for the Liberals, but as the party chairman Richard Squires himself showed interest in the constituency Humber, Smallwood renounced in his favor and became his campaign manager. In return, he was appointed Justice of the Peace. After the elections Smallwood founded in St. John's newspaper The liberal watchdog.

In 1932 he stood as a candidate in the constituency of Bonavista, but was not elected. From a column in the Daily News was created in 1937, the radio show, The Barrelman. In this six times a week broadcast by the state-owned broadcasting company BCN quarter-hour broadcast Smallwood told several anecdotes to promote the pride of Newfoundland on their own culture and history. Thus he became known throughout Newfoundland. In 1943 he left the station and held a pig farm near the airport Gander.

Application for accession to Canada

Since 1934 the once independent Dominion Newfoundland had been administered directly by a government commission due to political and economic crises that came directly under the British government. In 1946 the new Labour government under Clement Attlee announced that she wanted to check the status of Newfoundland. She used the Newfoundland National Convention, which should provide advice on the future constitutional role of the colony.

Smallwood was elected to the 45 -member National Convention. He advocated the accession of Newfoundland and Labrador to Canada because he saw in it the best way to create a stable economy and prosperity. In June 1947 Smallwood was a member of a delegation representing the possibility of joining probed with the Canadian federal government in Ottawa. The followers of joining formed the National Convention a minority, the majority sought a return to the status before 1934.

When the National Convention refused to satisfy even the question of accession in the prescribed referendum, Smallwood founded the advocacy organization Confederate Association and used his notoriety to vehemently to advertise in radio broadcasts and newspaper articles for accession. Governor Gordon Macdonald eventually let to the question of accession as one of three possibilities.

The first referendum on June 3, 1948, none of the options won an absolute majority. On July 22 there was a casting vote, in which prevailed the followers of joining with 52.3 % of votes. Negotiations with Canada have been completed and the British House issued the Newfoundland Act. March 31, 1949 signed Smallwood, who was appointed interim prime minister, shortly before midnight, the declaration of accession to the Canadian Confederation.

Prime minister

On April 1, 1949, the day after the historic event, Smallwood went to the office of prime minister of the new province. In the first election to the House of Newfoundland on May 27, the Liberals led by him, received a clear majority of seats. During the next twenty years Small Woods leadership remained virtually unchallenged and the Liberals won another five elections in a row.

Smallwood was also Minister of Economic Development and therefore had almost complete control over the establishment of industries in the province. He relied heavily on the advice of Alfred Valdmanis, who was appointed Minister of Finance of Latvia have been to 1939 and 1950 to the Director General. His task was to allow about his relationships with German and Baltic industrialists increased investment in the province predominantly agricultural. The efforts, however, were largely unsuccessful. 1954 Valdmanis was dismissed because he had been accused of financial fraud ( later he was so two years in prison ). In the subsequent scandal was revealed that he had collaborated during the Second World War with the Nazis.

Success, however, was the project of the hydroelectric plant Churchill Falls, which was implemented 1967-1974 at the Churchill River in Labrador. Towards the end of the 1960s there were more and more often criticism of Smallwood who was accused to rule autocratically. Joining the Canadian Confederation led to generous compensation by the Federal Government, through their distribution and use Smallwood largely self- decided.

1969 Smallwood could barely prevail against John Crosbie, who had challenged him for the party presidency. Crosbie and other liberals turned away disappointed and joined the opposition Progressive Conservative Party at. In the elections in October 1971, the Liberals lost the first time an absolute majority, but Smallwood refused to resign. He could not keep still until January 18, 1972, when the only Member of the Labrador Party withdrew its support and the government no longer had a majority. Shortly thereafter, Smallwood gave up his seat.

Other activities

After a failed attempt to be re-elected as party leader, founded Smallwood 1974, the Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party, which won five seats in the elections in September 1975. In 1977, he became reconciled again with the Liberals, but was in June this year from his position permanently on.

Small Woods preferred pastime was writing. In 1937 he had published The Book of Newfoundland, a two-volume work on the history of the island. The mid-1960s he took his literary career again. In 1968 he joined the Freemasons. After the end of his political career, he devoted himself to the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. The first volume of this encyclopedia was published in 1981, the second in 1984. Three years later, the JR Smallwood Foundation was created to allow for the completion of the encyclopedia. The publication of the last three volumes did not live Smallwood.

Named after him is the Smallwood Reservoir, a reservoir in western Labrador. The 1998's novel The colony of unrequited dreams of Wayne Johnston is based in large part on Small Woods life story, but also contains numerous fictional elements.

Works

• The book of Newfoundland ( 1937)
• The face of Newfoundland ( 1967)
• No apology from me (1967 )
• I chose Canada: The memoirs of the Honourable Joseph R. " Joey " Smallwood (1969 )
• To you with affection from Joey (1969 )
• The time has come to tell ( 1979)
• Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador ( 1981)