W. A. C. Bennett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
W. A. C. Bennett
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| 25th Premier of British Columbia | |
| In office August 1, 1952 – September 15, 1972 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Clarence Wallace Frank Mackenzie Ross George Pearkes John Robert Nicholson |
| Preceded by | Byron Ingemar Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Dave Barrett |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for South Okanagan |
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| In office October 21, 1941 – May 17, 1948 |
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| Preceded by | Cecil Robert Bull |
| Succeeded by | Robert Denis Browne-Clayton |
| In office June 15, 1949 – June 5, 1973 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Denis Browne-Clayton |
| Succeeded by | Bill Bennett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Andrew Cecil Bennett
September 6, 1900 Hastings, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | February 23, 1979 (aged 78) Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada |
| Political party | BC Conservative (1937–1951) Social Credit (1951–1978) |
| Spouse |
Annie Elizabeth May Richards
(m. 1927) |
| Children | 3, including Bill |
William Andrew Cecil Bennett (September 6, 1900 – February 23, 1979) was a Canadian politician. He served as the 25th premier of British Columbia for over 20 years, from 1952 to 1972. This makes him the longest-serving premier in British Columbia's history. He was a member of the Social Credit Party, often called the "Socreds."
During his time as premier, Bennett's government achieved many important things. They adopted British Columbia's first provincial flag. They also created major organizations like BC Hydro, which provides electricity, and BC Ferries, which connects coastal communities. Bennett led the Social Credit Party to win seven elections in a row. His son, Bill Bennett, later became premier too.
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Early Life and Family
William Andrew Cecil Bennett was born in 1900 in Hastings, New Brunswick, Canada. He was one of five children. His father was a distant cousin of Richard Bedford Bennett, who became the eleventh Prime Minister of Canada.
Bennett left school after grade nine during the First World War. He took a job in a hardware store. As an adult, he continued learning through correspondence courses. He joined the Air Force, but the war ended before he saw action. When he was 18, his family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, and then to Westlock, Alberta. There, his father ran a hardware store.
In 1927, Bennett married Annie Elizabeth May Richards. In 1930, they moved to Victoria, and then to Kelowna with their two children, Anita and R.J. Their third child, William, was born in 1932. In Kelowna, Bennett joined community groups like the Gyro Club and the Masonic Lodge. He was also active with his family in the United Church of Canada.
People often called him W. A. C. Bennett. Some also called him "Wacky" Bennett, either as a nickname or a joke. His close friends knew him as "Cece."
Starting a Business Career
In 1927, Bennett opened a hardware store with a partner. He sold his share of the business just before the stock market crash in 1929. This helped him avoid the tough economic times in Alberta.
He then moved his family to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. In Kelowna, he opened his own hardware store, called Bennett's Hardware. He was a successful businessman and served as the President of the Kelowna Board of Trade from 1937 to 1939.
In 1932, Bennett and two partners started a company to make wine. They used the many extra apples from the Okanagan Valley that were going to waste. Three years later, Bennett and his partner, Pasquale "Cap" Capozzi, realized apple wines were not popular. They decided to make wines from California grapes instead. In 1936, they created Calona Wines. Bennett left the company in 1940 to enter politics.
Entering the World of Politics
Bennett joined the British Columbia Conservative Party. He tried to become a candidate for the South Okanagan in the 1937 provincial election but did not succeed. In 1941, he won the Conservative Party nomination and was elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. After this election, the Conservative and Liberal parties decided to form a coalition to govern together.
Bennett was re-elected in 1945 as part of the coalition. He later left his seat in 1948 to run in a federal election, but he did not win. He then ran again for the South Okanagan seat and was re-elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly in 1949.
In 1951, Bennett tried to become the leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party but failed. After this, he left the party and became an independent member of the legislature. In December of that year, he joined the Social Credit League.
Premier of British Columbia
In the 1952 British Columbia general election, a new voting system was used. The Social Credit party unexpectedly won 19 out of 48 seats, becoming the largest party. They formed a minority government. The Socreds convinced another independent politician to support them.
The Social Credit party had not expected to win. They did not even have a full-time leader. The newly elected politicians met to choose British Columbia's new premier. Bennett, who had the most experience in the legislature among the Socreds, was chosen as the party leader and premier on July 15, 1952.
On August 1, Bennett became the Premier of British Columbia. He was re-elected many times and served for 20 years. To gain more support, Bennett purposely caused his first minority government to fall. He called an election for June 1953 based on a plan for school funding. After Social Credit won with a clear majority in 1953, Bennett stopped using the preferential voting method.
The Social Credit Party won seven elections in a row under W. A. C. Bennett's leadership: 1952, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1966, and 1969. The only election Bennett lost as a Social Credit member was in 1972.
Government Achievements and Policies
Bennett also served as the Minister of Finance. He carefully managed government spending. He led British Columbia into a time of growth and success. He believed in "pay as you go," which meant tracking spending closely. In 1959, Bennett announced that the province had no debt.
Bennett's governments took control of some industries, creating provincial companies called Crown corporations. These included BC Ferries (started in 1960) and BC Hydro (started in 1961). BC Rail, which the province already owned, was greatly expanded. This helped to encourage development across the province.
Major projects were started to build hydro-electric dams on the Columbia and Peace Rivers. Bennett also helped create the Bank of British Columbia. The government owned 25% of this bank.
In 1955, Bennett supported the idea of universal health insurance. The federal government later introduced universal, publicly funded medical and hospital insurance, known as Medicare. The provincial government used a sales tax to help pay for this program.
The 1960s saw a big expansion in higher education. New colleges and universities were created and grew. British Columbia gained its second and third universities: the University of Victoria in 1963 and Simon Fraser University in 1965.
Columbia River Treaty
In 1961, Canada and the United States signed the Columbia River Treaty. This agreement was to manage the Columbia River together. Premier Bennett played a big part in these talks. Under the treaty, the U.S. paid British Columbia C$275 million (plus interest). This payment was for the right to generate power from the river for the next 30 years. British Columbia used this money to build dams on the Columbia River. These dams helped generate power and control floods.
After Being Premier
After his party lost the 1972 British Columbia general election to Dave Barrett's New Democratic Party, Bennett served as the Leader of the Opposition. He resigned his seat for South Okanagan in June 1973.
His son, W.R. "Bill" Bennett, won the South Okanagan by-election in September. W. A. C. Bennett stepped down as leader of the Social Credit Party on November 15. His son Bill Bennett was elected the new leader on November 24, 1973. When Premier Dave Barrett called an election in the fall of 1975, the Social Credit Party won again. W. A. C.'s son Bill became the new Premier of British Columbia.
In 1976, W. A. C. Bennett was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He passed away in 1979 and was buried in the Kelowna Municipal Cemetery.
In 1998, the Government of Canada honored W. A. C. Bennett with his picture on a Canadian postage stamp. The W. A. C. Bennett Dam near Hudson's Hope is named after him. The library at the Burnaby campus of Simon Fraser University also carries his name. He was featured on the cover of Time Magazine on September 30, 1966.
