Dallas Schmidt

Dallas Wilbur Schmidt
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
March 25, 1975  November 2, 1982
Preceded by James Henderson
Succeeded by Donald Sparrow
Constituency Wetaskiwin-Leduc
Minister without Portfolio
In office
April 3, 1975  August 29, 1976
Associate Minister of Energy and Natural Resources responsible for Public Lands
In office
August 30, 1976  March 22, 1979
Minister of Agriculture
In office
March 23, 1979  November 18, 1982
Preceded by Marvin Moore
Succeeded by LeRoy Fjordbotten
Personal details
Born August 9, 1922
Wetaskiwin, Alberta
Died November 22, 2007(2007-11-22) (aged 85)
Political party Progressive Conservative
Occupation Pilot, politician
Awards Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar of the Flying Cross
Military service
Allegiance Canada
Service/branch Royal Canadian Air Force
Years of service January 8, 1942 - September 12, 1945
1951 - 1956
Unit EFTS No. 18, SFTS 15 OTU No. 2, Squadron 227, 236 and 404,

Dallas Wilbur Schmidt (August 9, 1922 – November 22, 2007) was a provincial level politician and Royal Canadian Air Force pilot from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1975 to 1982 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. During his time in public office he served different cabinet portfolio's under the government of Peter Lougheed.

Air Force career

Schmidt served with the Royal Canadian Air Force enlisting on January 8, 1942. He was quickly shipped overseas to see action in World War II. During the war he served in the No.227 Squadron and flew a wide range of military aircraft used by Canada at the time. His aircraft was shot down by enemy fire on five separate occasions.[1]

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on October 5, 1942 for missions he flew over Europe. He returned to Canada in July 1945 and was released from service in September of that year.[1] He also won the Bar of the Flying Cross that same year.[2]

He re-enlisted with the Air Force and served his second stint from 1951 to 1956.[1]

Political career

Schmidt first ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1967 Alberta general election in the electoral district of Wetaskiwin. He was defeated by incumbent Albert Strohschein in a hotly contested race finishing a close second place.[3]

Schmidt ran for the second time in the 1975 Alberta general election. This time he won the electoral district of Wetaskiwin-Leduc defeating three other candidates with a landslide margin to pick it up for the governing Progressive Conservative party.[4]

After the election Premier Peter Lougheed appointed Schmidt to the Executive Council of Alberta as a Minister without Portfolio on April 3, 1975.[2] He was appointed just over a year later as Associate Minister of Energy and Natural Resources responsible for Public Lands on August 26, 1976.[2] He ran for re-election in the 1979 general election. He won a bigger margin of victory with his ministerial advantage winning his second term with a landslide.[5]

Schmidt became a full minister after the election on March 23, 1979. He was promoted to Minister of Agriculture and served that position until he retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the legislature in 1982.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dallas Wilbur Schmidt". Canadian Aces of WW2. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 https://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_26/session_3/20071126_1300_01_han.pdf |chapter-url= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. November 26, 2007. p. 2169.
  3. "Wetaskiwin results 1967". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  4. "Wetaskiwin-Leduc results 1975". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
  5. "Wetaskiwin-Leduc results 1979". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved November 22, 2009.

External links

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